The Journey
by tentsubasa
Summary: Since there are not a whole lot of lengthy, comprehensive fics for Hihara x Hino, I figured I'd write one; and this is the result. Follow along on the journey everyone needs to undergo to find true love.
1. Prologue

**Authors Notes:** Schools in Japan start in March/April and end in February/March, but I'm pretending that school lets out in mid-June like many high schools in the USA do, instead of in March like they actually do in Japan, and that a 3rd year is a Junior, not a Senior.

Sometimes instead of explicitly stating which character is speaking, I use the honorifics to give clues. Hopefully, it should be obvious who's talking. f(^_^; )

There is a fair amount of the story that goes on in people's heads, so here is a quick guide.

_**Kazuki Hihara's thoughts**_

_**Len Tsukimori's thoughts**_

**Ryoutaro Tsuchiura's thoughts**

**Azuma Yunoki's thoughts**

Keiichi Shimizu's thoughts

_Kahoko Hino's thoughts_

_Shouko Fuyuumi's thoughts_

"_All other character's thoughts_"

******Disclaimer:** I do not own Kiniro no Corda or any affiliates. The only real characters I (mostly) own are Sumire Hanazawa (her looks are based off of a picture I found online) and the family members of the original characters (sort of, their personalities are mine, but not their existence). This disclaimer holds throughout the whole story.  


**Author's Note: As with all links in this fic, please substitute elipses with periods.**

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"Oi! Kazuki! Wake up!" my older brother Haruki called out while stealing my pillow, rudely awakening me from my slumber.

"More sleep…" I mumbled as I grabbed my stolen pillow and covered my head with it. "No school today…"

"There may be no school, but there _is_ stuff to do. Now get _up_! Remember, we promised mom that we'd run some errands for her, and she wants us to get started. Now move it you lazy bum."

Groaning, I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes before heading to the bathroom and getting ready. Little did I know that today, I, Kazuki Hihara, would receive a revelation into my own heart.

Haruki and I ran errands for mom and then we hit the park to shoot hoops with friends. That's when everything started.

Watch this: (full version, may require installation) (veoh...com/browse/videos/category/animation/watch/v20446813XAcEzcD2) (add the www. or it won't work)

Parts: (youtube...com/watch?v=wqjL-YF7Q1E) (youtube...com/watch?v=8ZNfZeta-eo) (youtube...com/watch?v=j0vVbVmCkoU) (youtube...com/watch?v=X8G8Oifgqug)

Tired, he flopped down on the ground and hung his head.

_**Now that I know that I like her, what do I do? Kaho-chan, if I were to tell you my feelings, would you accept them?**_

Shaking his head, he packed up his trumpet and walked home with a turbulent mind.

From that point on, he found himself even more attuned to her than he was before. Seeing her sad made him sad and seeing her happiness gave him joy. They continued to discover music more and more together with the other concours participants as time continued to pass. Summer turned to fall, and school started again. While Kazuki loved vacations, he was glad that school had come again because now he had a chance to see Kaho-chan every day. But as the leaves changed colors and fell, he was ever-reminded that he had not yet told the red-haired girl his feelings, and he was running out of time.

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**Author's Notes: I had the idea of making an integrated fic with video and stuff, so this is the result. I don't know why, I guess I just wanted to open the story with sort of the sequence of events that led Kazuki to the realization of his feelings. Since the rest of the story didn't happen in the anime, this is the only chapter that has video integration like this. I don't remember if I enabled comments on the youtube videos, but if you can't really comment on them, then please feel free to comment on them here. =D**

**I promise that after this chapter I start actually doing some writing!**

**As always, please review!**


	2. A Night On the Ice

**Author's Note: much of this chapter is taken from a scene in the Kiniro no Corda game (crunchyroll...com/media-461640/kiniro-no-corda-encore-08-kazuki-and-kahoko-go-ice-skating, first scenario), which I also don't own. This cut scene in the game is super cute! (^_^)**

**Oh, right, the actual video doesn't have any subtitles that I'm aware of, but I translated what was said in the video just about word-for-word in this chapter. I think I might have given Kahoko one of his lines. But even if you don't actually know what he's saying, it's still a very sweet, heartfelt scene. (^_^)**

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The real story begins around mid-November. By this point, snow had already become a frequent visitor to their little town. And one Kazuki Hihara was going to make the most of it.

*Ring Ring*

"Hello?" a musical voice responded.

"Hello? Kaho-chan? Umm…it's Hihara. Err…you probably already know that. Hahaha… Sorry for calling you so suddenly. I'm sorry for the late notice, but I was wondering…are you free? Apparently the ice rink is open tonight. It's really pretty. Would you like to go? Umm, together? It's my treat! I…umm…wanted to thank you for always cheering me on during the concours. It was really encouraging! So…what do you say? Will you come?"

"Sure! I'm not doing anything. That sounds like fun."

"R-really? You're sure? That's-that's great! Score!" He paused awkwardly. "Sorry…ignore that… So then, why don't we meet in front of the train station? I'll see you then! Bye!"

"Bye!"

He hung up the phone and jumped for joy. "She said, 'Yes!' She said, 'Yes!' This is the happiest day of my life!" After dancing around some more, he looked at the clock and yelped. "If I don't hurry, I'm going to be late!" Pulling the jacket from his school winter uniform over his orange sweater, he ran out the door with his navy and gold scarf in hand yelling, "I'm going out for a bit! I'll be back later!"

Running all the way to the station, he stopped to catch his breath while looking around to see if his beloved Kaho-chan was around. Relieved that he seemed to have beat her there, he took the opportunity to catch his breath and waited for her in anticipation. A few minutes later, he saw her coming over the hill.

"Kaho-cha~n! Over here~!" he called out waving his right arm in order to catch her attention.

Smiling she ran over to him. "Good evening, Hihara-senpai!" she said with a slight flush on her cheeks from walking in the cold.

With a chuckle he replied, "Good evening! Kind of a strange feeling, isn't it? Sneaking out at night and meeting up, how to say this…it's kind of fun and thrilling, don't you think?"

Laughingly she agreed. "I suppose it is."

"This feeling…it reminds me of this drama about a guy that eloped that's been on recently," he continued on exuberantly. He stopped up short, suddenly realizing what it sounded like he was implying. "…What am I talking about?" he muttered with a slightly awkward look.

Thankfully Kahoko hadn't really noticed anything. She just looked at him with a clueless smile.

"Erm…well, whatever. Let's go!"

Walking side by side, they walked to the ice rink. The trip was uneventful at first; sometimes they talked and sometimes they shared a comfortable silence while taking in the beauty of the winter landscape. Although Kazuki was normally one who liked to talk, just being near Kahoko filled him with joy.

_**She looks so beautiful against the backdrop of the snow and lights. At times like this, it seems like there's nothing in the world that could ever go wrong.**_

He smiled gently at her with a sweet look in his eyes.

Fortunately for him, for a while Kahoko was so busy taking in the winter wonderland before her that she didn't notice his gaze. When she turned to look at him though, for a split second she saw the way he looked at her.

_Hihara-senpai? Why is he looking at me like that? My face feels so hot!_

Kazuki's eyes widened, realizing that he had been found out.

Both of them looked away quickly, blushing furiously. They snuck looks at one another for a little bit until he broke the ice.

"Umm…Kaho-chan, how are your preparations for the Christmas Eve concert coming? Have you chosen a solo piece yet?"

Grateful for the distraction from her earlier embarrassment she replied, "Not yet. I borrowed a bunch of CDs from Tsukimori-kun though. Sometimes I wonder if all music themes are vague and abstract."

"A heartfelt melody," Kazuki mused. Smiling at her pensive expression, he thought about how cute she was when she was thinking. How her delicate finger pressed against her left cheek and caused her to cock her head slightly. He admired the way she pursed her lips together and furrowed her brow. Shaking his head quickly, he scolded himself slightly.

_**I don't want to make her uncomfortable and embarrass her again.**_

Looking up ahead, he said, "I guess the rink is always crowded, even at night."

"Huh?" she said snapping out of her thoughts, her eyes following Kazuki's pointed finger to the fairly large number of people at the ice rink. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"Everyone looks like they're having fun gliding around. Somehow, seeing that is making me more excited! Alright! Let's go! The ticket stand is over there!"

Bounding over to the ticket stand, Kazuki bought their tickets and they went over to the benches to change into ice skates. Like a gentleman, Kazuki helped Kahoko up after she had put on her skates and led her to the ice. Once on the ice, Kazuki turned to Kahoko and asked in a kind tone, "Have you skated much before?"

Wobbling a bit, Kahoko replied, "I don't skate much. This is may be my second time ever."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Kazuki said, "Your second time, huh? If that's the case, then being on the ice must be a bit scary, right? But don't worry, it'll be ok," he murmured with a smile. "I may not look it, but I'm a pretty decent skater. Here, give me your hand. If you hold my hand, then I'll keep you from falling. Then it won't be scary anymore, right?" He smiled kindly at her while offering her his hand.

"Thank you, Hihara-senpai," she smiled gratefully, with a hint of embarrassment, taking his hand.

Continuing to smile sweetly at her, he said, "As we skate, you'll start to get the hang of it. Now let's slowly go around the rink together."

For a while he coached her and helped keep her steady, and she finally started to get a little less wobbly.

After a bit, he commented in a soft voice, almost like he was talking to himself, "Now that I think about it, this is the first time that we've been close like this, isn't it. …Heh…I'm feeling kind of shy." Realizing that a blush was creeping onto her cheeks, he blurted out, "Err! S-sorry!"

_**What am I talking about? I'm going to make things even more awkward!**_

Stumbling around for words, he started rambling, "Umm…So, Kaho-chan, what do you want to talk about? Like…what do you usually like to do? Do you have any dreams or anything like that? Also, I'm kind of interested to know…" In a much smaller voice he whispered with a slightly sad expression on his face, "…if we'll still be able to go out like this together after I graduate…"

"Sorry, what was that, Hihara-senpai?" she asked curiously.

Looking upwards with a blush on his cheeks he said more loudly, ignoring her question, "Umm…so yeah, whatever you want to talk about! Today, let's talk a lot."

Smiling up at her senpai Kahoko replied, "Alright!"

The two of them talked a lot while skating. They talked about school, friends, hobbies, and of course, music and sweets, two of their shared loves. They were having so much fun talking and skating that they were surprised when an announcement that the rink was closing pierced the night. By this time Kahoko had gotten the hang of skating, although she still chose to hold onto Kazuki's hand for support. They went around the rink one last time before gliding out the exit. After taking off their skates and returning them, they headed towards home.

"Man that was fun!" Kazuki grinned. "We got to skate quite a bit, didn't we?"

Laughing, Kahoko replied teasingly, "Considering that we were there until the rink closed, I'd say we got to skate a lot."

Chuckling, Kazuki smiled at her and said, "But even so, I'm not quite ready to go home yet! Man that was fun. Kaho-chan, thank you for coming today. I'm glad that you were able to enjoy yourself as much as I was." Turning to face her, he continued, "This whole time I was thinking that I wanted to thank you, so I'm glad that this worked out as a thank you gift." That sweet look returning to his face again, he said tenderly and seriously, "But…I guess it isn't only that. This feeling, it's not simply gratitude. More than anything, I-I really wanted to get to know you better, t-to see what kind of a girl you are...err…"

Kahoko's eyes widened a bit, the feelings behind his words hitting her.

"Kaho-chan…Maybe this is a bit selfish, but since I'm planning to walk you home anyway, is it alright if we stay out together for a little longer?"


	3. An Icy Race

Looking into his eyes, she could see warmth and kindness in them.

_There's something different about his eyes this time. Normally when Hihara-senpai asks for something, he's got this puppy dog face, but this time, there's something more in his gaze…a soft, tender look. !... No, that can't be. I must be seeing things. I'm probably a bit tired from skating._

Shaking her head minutely to dispel the thought, she then smiled a little as she responded, "That's fine with me. I'm actually a little hungry anyway. Why don't we grab a quick bite to eat?"

At the mention of food, Kazuki's face lit up. "Oh! I think there's a convenience store around here. At this hour nothing else is likely to be open. It's this way!"

As they walked along, it the snow started to softly fall. Kahoko laughingly looked up when a snowflake landed on her nose. She walked a few more steps with her head raised before slipping on a patch of black ice. "Ah!"

"Kaho-chan!" Kazuki exclaimed, grabbing her just in the nick of time. For a few seconds, they stayed that way, his arms wrapped protectively around her as she caught her breath.

_**Wow, that was close! At least she didn't fall…She feels so soft and smells so good. As selfish as this may be, I hope she'll let me hold her a little longer…**_

_Ahh! ! ! That was scary! ! I didn't even see that patch of ice! Thank goodness Hihara-senpai caught me. Wait, he's still holding me!_ Panicking slightly, a thought came unbidden, making her blush. _I feel so warm and safe in his arms…_ As quickly as the thought came, it was dismissed. _Eh? ! ? ! ? ! ! What are you thinking Kahoko? ? It's not like that between you two!_

Coming to her senses, she murmured hesitantly, blushing furiously, "Umm…Hihara-senpai?"

Quickly letting go of her with a slightly guilty look on his face, he said, "I-I'm sorry! Are you alright?"

"I think I'm ok now. That was frightening though." She joked weakly, "You would think that after a few hours of skating around on ice I'd be able to manage better."

Both of them laughed a little, dispelling some of the awkwardness.

"Hey, Kaho-chan, maybe it would be safer if you held onto my hand. I don't know how much more ice there is. And some of it may be black ice like you just slipped on. So…if it's alright with you…"

She hesitated slightly. _Should I take his hand? It was fine at the rink, but I feel so flustered now… But at the same time I don't want to fall again…_ She straightened up slightly, and scolded herself for her hesitation. _Take his hand Kahoko, what are you worried about?_

"Thank you Hihara-senpai. I accept your offer. I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

"It's no trouble. Besides, if you got hurt, that would be really bad. Oh! There's the store up ahead!"

Walking inside, they both bought some onigiri, warm tea, and sweets before heading to some nearby benches to enjoy their snacks.

While wolfing down his food, Kazuki exclaimed, "I'm so hungry! You wouldn't think it at first, but ice skating is actually really good exercise."

Nodding, Kahoko added, "You get so warm skating around and around the rink, even at a leisurely pace. I wonder why that is."

Kazuki shrugged, "Beats me. But if you ask me, skating was the perfect way to spend a night like this."

"It _was_ a good way to be able to enjoy the outdoors," Kahoko agreed. "The moon looks so lovely peeking over the snow-capped trees. The whole world looks like it's sparkling."

Gazing at her rapturous expression, Kazuki smiled softly. His eyes drank in the whole scene.

_**She's so beautiful. **_

His eyes caressed her red locks, traced the line of her lips, and admired her golden eyes. He had gotten so engrossed in looking at her that he almost jumped when she suddenly exclaimed, "Hihara-senpai! Look at the time! It's almost midnight!"

Jumping to his feet, Kazuki yelled, "Oh no! I'm so sorry Kaho-chan! We'd better get you home!"

Grabbing her hand, they walked quickly, but carefully toward her house. About half-way to their destination, the snow started to fall more heavily and the wind began to pick up. Kazuki pulled her closer to himself and moved his hand to her shoulder to shield her from the wind.

_**I hope I can get her safely home before the weather gets really bad. I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to her. This is all my fault; I had to be selfish and ask her to stay out later. She looks so cold and tired. I've got to get her home!**_

_Even with Hihara-senpai shielding me from the worst of the wind, it still bites. I hope we're not too far. It's getting harder to see!_ Looking up at his fiercely determined expression she felt grateful to him and a bit safer. _It's rare to see Hihara-senpai look like that. He looks so determined to see us safely through this. I guess I'll choose to trust him._ She looked less grim, having found a sense of security despite the ever growing tempest whirling around them.

Soon after, they found themselves in front of Kahoko's house.

_**We made it! Thank goodness. Now I need to get her inside where it's warm.**_

"Ah, Kaho-chan, can I come in briefly? I want to apologize to your parents for keeping you out so late."

"You don't need to apologize Hihara-senpai. I wanted to stay out too, but please do come inside and warm up. You'll freeze out here." Walking into the house, Kahoko called out, "I'm home!"

"Kahoko! Is that you? I was starting to worry once that storm started brewing. You owe your father an explanation in the morning, young lady. He was very concerned. I practically had to force him to go to bed. He has a very important case tomorrow," scolded her mother who came out of the kitchen.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Kazuki cried emphatically, practically jumping in front of Kahoko as if to protect her from her mother's tirade. "It was my fault that we stayed out so late. It was my selfish request, so please don't blame her!"

"No, no, Hihara-senpai! I agreed to stay out with you!"

"But if I hadn't asked…!"

"We had a lot of fun, so please don't worry about it!"

"B-but…"

"Kahoko, who is your friend?" her mother cut in, looking curiously at the young man.

"Oh! Mom, this is Hihara-senpai from school. He participated in the concours too."

"H-Hello. Excuse me for intruding. I'm Kazuki Hihara. I play the trumpet. It's very nice to meet you." He bowed. "I apologize for keeping your daughter out so late."

"It's nice to meet you too, Hihara-san. Thank you for bringing her home. Where did you two go?"

"We went ice skating at the outdoor rink near the station."

"It was great mom. You would have loved it. The snow and lights looked so pretty. Everyone was having a lot of fun."

"It sounds like you had a good time." Glancing at storm raging outside the window and furrowing her brow slightly, Kahoko's mother asked Kazuki, "Do you live far from here?"

"I live on the other side of the train station, not too far from the rink."

"That's a bit far. Thank you very much for bringing Kahoko home. She would have probably gotten lost without you."

"Mom! I would not!"

Chuckling, Kazuki replied, "It was my pleasure. You have a wonderful daughter. We had a lot of fun." After a slight pause, he said reluctantly, "Well, I guess I'd better head home. I'll see you at school Kaho-chan."

"Hihara-san! You can't be serious?"

"Huh?" he replied in confusion.

"Look out the window," Kahoko's mother pointed at the now furiously raging blizzard. "If you go out there you could easily get lost and freeze to death. Please stay here for the night. You may use our phone to call your parents. There's no way we could let the man who brought our Kahoko through this storm go out in _that_." Turning to her daughter she ordered, "Kahoko, get some blankets and pillows from the upstairs closet for our guest."

"Ah! No! Really, I'm fine. I really appreciate the offer, but I just can't…" Kazuki protested.

"It's really no trouble Hihara-san. Please do this for me. Speaking as a mother, I'm sure your mother would much rather you stay here, where it's safe and warm, than have you fight your way back in that blizzard."

Looking slightly defeated, yet inside somewhat happy, he bowed and thanked her. "Thank you for your kindness and hospitality. I will accept them."

"Now the phone is in the next room. Kahoko and I will go and get some things for you." As she walked up the stairs with her daughter, she looked at Kahoko mischievously and whispered, "That Hihara-san is rather cute isn't he? And what a bright, friendly personality he has. How about going for him?"

"Mom!" Kahoko hissed. "Don't embarrass me! We're not like that."

"Then what is your relationship?"

"It's…"

_Now that I think about it, what is it? Hihara-senpai has always been a good friend to me, but even I will admit that our outing today was kind of like a date. And the way my heart beat and my face turned red are suspicious too… But, that doesn't mean that it's anything. Yeah, that doesn't necessarily mean anything…_

"He's a very good friend of mine and a wonderful senpai to me," she answered aloud.

"Oh?" her mother asked, not completely believing her. She had seen the various emotions that had crossed Kahoko's face as her thoughts raced through her brain. But she shrugged and said, "If you say so."

Kahoko looked firm and replied, "I do."

Raising an eyebrow, her mother mutely handed her some blankets and a pillow while she grabbed some towels and a pair of pajamas for their guest. Climbing down the stairs with the bundles in their arms, they could hear Kazuki exclaiming, "Don't make fun of me Haruki! That's not fair! I was planning to come home, but the blizzard came up and Kaho-chan's mother insisted that I stay here because it's not safe to go home in this storm. That's all! Humph…Well just make sure you tell everyone, ok? Thanks. Bye."

Hanging up the phone with a slight blush on his cheeks, he turned to face Kahoko and her mother and smiled. "Thank you again for letting me stay here." He bowed.

Chuckling, Kahoko's mother replied, "We're glad to have you. Here are some bath towels and my husband's spare pair of pajamas. The bathroom is up the stairs to the left. If you need anything, just ask Kahoko. Well, I'm going to bed now. I hope you will sleep well, Hihara-san." Kissing her daughter on the forehead, she murmured, "Good night, honey. Sleep well."

"Thanks mom. Good night."

Waving good night and smiling, Kahoko's mother went upstairs leaving the pair alone.

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**And that's a wrap for now! Please read and review! Oh, and if you have any suggestions on Chapter titles, I'd really appreciate them! I'm really not that good at coming up with titles, but I didn't want to do Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc.**


	4. An Unnerving Encounter

"Here are your blankets and your pillow, Hihara-senpai."

"Thanks Kaho-chan. I'm really indebted to you and your family. Haha, and just when I had stopped being indebted to you too. I'll need to figure out another way to thank all of you."

Remembering some of the incidents that had occurred previously that night, Kahoko blushed and protested, "You really don't need to worry about it senpai. Like my mom said, we couldn't let you go back out into that storm."

"I guess so..." *GROWL~* Flushing furiously in embarrassment, he tried to quiet his growling stomach. But the more he tried to hide the noise, the louder it became.

Soon Kahoko couldn't hold in her laughter anymore.

"Hey! Don't laugh at me!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she gasped, wiping away a tear that had leaked out from laughing so hard. "I couldn't resist." Regaining her composure, she turned to him and said smilingly, "I made some cake earlier, why don't we see if there's any left. Even though we already had a snack, I'm a little hungry after all that running around in the cold too."

"Thank you!"

"No problem." She flashed him a dazzling smile. She hummed a happy tune to herself as she puttered around the kitchen. She found some pudding in the refrigerator and set her apple cake in the toaster oven to warm it slightly. Then she went to make some hot chocolate. Since Kazuki didn't know anything about cooking, he contented himself to sit and watch her while drinking some water.

_**She looks so happy and natural in the kitchen. I can't wait to taste her cooking. I get to eat food Kaho-chan made for me! Does life get any better than this? Having the girl I love make me food that we'll eat together...this is a dream come true! Hmm…Her humming has that same quality and sweetness that her violin music has. This light, carefree warmth is something unique to her. There may be people in this world with more singing ability, but I love hearing her perform, even if it's something as insignificant as humming in the kitchen. And this time,**_ he smiled to himself,_**I'm her only audience member. There's something magical and special about that. As I get to know her more and spend time with her, I find myself liking her more and more.**_ He suddenly felt sad. _**Kaho-chan, will you ever see me as a man and not just as your ever-smiling, ever-supportive senpai?**_

The look on his face as he gazed at her was so wistful, that when she turned to look at him she became concerned.

"Hihara-senpai, is something wrong?"

Coming out of his reverie, he shook his head to clear it, and smiled up at her. "There's nothing wrong, Kaho-chan. I was just thinking about something." Changing the subject, he added, "That cake smells great! Thank you so much for doing all this for me."

Looking reassured, Kahoko sat across from him and smiled. "You're welcome. I like to bake, but I don't get much of a chance to do it, so it worked out that I had found some time earlier today." She frowned thoughtfully, "Now that I think about it, I didn't get to eat much cake earlier, so I'm glad my family left some for us." She continued on cheerfully, "I know apples aren't quite in season anymore, but we had some that needed to get used, so I thought I'd make an apple cake. Apples have a soothing scent, perfect for a day like today. The pudding and hot chocolate are done though, so why don't we have some of that?"

"Sounds good!" Kazuki responded with a grin. "Thank you for the food!" he exclaimed before digging in. After taking a sip of his hot chocolate, he looked at it in surprise.

"Is something wrong Hihara-senpai? Does it taste strange?" Kahoko asked looking slightly concerned.

_Oh no. Maybe he doesn't like it that way…_

"Oh, no. Nothing's wrong. I was surprised that the hot chocolate is slightly bitter. That's all. It matches really well with the pudding though. Making the hot chocolate less sweet was a great idea. That's amazing! I would have never thought that doing something small like that would make these two taste that much better!" He beamed at her.

Kahoko blushed, embarrassed at his high praise, "It's really not that great. I just thought this would match better."

"I think it's wonderful. You put a lot of thought into this didn't you? After all, it wouldn't do for us to have too much sugar and be unable to sleep right? That's why you reheated the apple cake so it would be aromatic and made the hot chocolate less sweet so it was more like warm milk: you were hoping that we'd be able to sleep better if you did those things. I think that kind of thoughtfulness and deliberateness that you showed just now carries over to your music too. It's part of what makes your music so pleasurable to hear. You can sense the love and consideration in every note you play."

"Hihara…senpai…" she was shocked.

_He thinks that highly of my playing? But compared to all the other participants that were in the concours, I'm such an amateur._

"Ah! Sorry Kaho-chan. There I go again letting my mouth run off with my feelings. I'm sorry if I've embarrassed you." He looked abashed.

Smiling softly with a slight blush, Kahoko looked into his eyes. "Don't worry about it Hihara-senpai. Hearing your praise made me very happy. I was just surprised because I never thought my music was all that. Even back in during the concours, people would tell me that my music helped them, but I couldn't believe them. I'm so far behind everyone in skill, how can my music be such a wonderful thing?"

"Don't say that Kaho-chan. I love your music. You have a beautiful sound. It raises my spirits and makes me want to give my all. No one else's music affects me like yours does."

*BLUSH!* "Th-th-thank you, Hihara-senpai," she whispered shyly while looking down at the table, her face as red as a tomato.

*ding*

"I-I think the cake is done. I'll take it out of the toaster oven and be back with it in a little bit!" she exclaimed running for the toaster oven as if it was going to run away—anything to distract herself from her burning face and rapidly beating heart.

"I look forward to eating your cake, Kaho-chan." Kazuki smiled warmly.

_Why is my heart beating so quickly? Why is my face so warm? All he did was compliment my music and say that he wants to eat my cake. But somehow, these things make me very happy..._

She smiled to herself, managing to regain her composure by dwelling on her happiness at receiving such genuine compliments, instead of her physical state.

"Coming right up!" She turned her head and smiled at him. "Here you are. I hope you like it." Kahoko smiled as she handed Kazuki his piece of cake.

"It smells great! Thank you for the food!" He cut off a piece and placed it in his mouth, chewing slowly to savor the taste. Suddenly, he stopped chewing and his eyes widened.

_Hihara-senpai? Is something wrong? I can't read any expression on his face right now. Maybe it tastes awful and he's trying to figure out a way to spare my feelings. Maybe reheating it was a bad idea, the apples may have charred. Oh, please let him like my cake!_

"Kaho-chan."

"Yes?"

"THIS IS DELICIOUS! ! !" he shouted, seeming to forget the time of night.

"Shh! Hihara-senpai! Not so loud!" she hissed.

"Oh! Sorry!" he whispered loudly. "But this is really, really good! This is the best cake I've ever eaten!"

*blush* "Don't lie, Hihara-senpai. I'm not that good a cook. You can just tell me if you don't really like it. I can take it."

"I'm not lying, Kaho-chan! I really do like your cake." He pushed his plate toward her and handed her his fork. "Here, try it yourself."

Gingerly taking the fork, she cut off a piece and tried it. Her eyes went round. In wonder, she murmured, "It really does taste better than it did this morning; who would have thought?" She regained her focus. "But Hihara-senpai, there's still no way that this could be the best cake in the world."

"It may not be to you, but to me it is. Thank you, Kaho-chan. It's delicious." Suddenly blushing, he said, "Umm…I just realized that I gave you my fork. Would you like to continue using it, or should I get both of us new forks?"

*BLUSH!* "This is your fork?" she squeaked. She stood up so quickly her chair threatened to topple over. "T-two forks coming right up!"

Again she ran away.

Her mind raced frantically as she stood next to the silverware drawer. _I used his fork. Both of our mouths touched that fork, so that means, that means WE SHARED AND INDIRECT KISS? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ! Calm yourself, Kahoko! You're-you're being ridiculous. But an indirect kiss, oh this is so embarrassing! ! What will Hihara-senpai think of me? We're just friends, right? What does this mean? ?_

As she continued to agonize, Kazuki walked over and tapped her on the shoulder, blushing also.

"U-Umm…Kaho-chan?"

"Ah, yes?" she asked, trembling slightly as she turned to look at him.

"Kaho-chan, I'm sorry," he said as he bowed. "This is entirely my fault. I was so concerned about showing you that your cake was good that I forgot myself and made you troubled. I'm so sorry."

"Hi-Hihara-senpai, please, raise your head. You don't have to bow to me!" Kahoko exclaimed. "I should have known better too. I was distracted and I didn't have any confidence in my abilities so I caused you to act rashly. It was inexcusable of me."

"No, I'm at fault!"

"No, it's not your fault!"

They looked at each other, blinking, experiencing déjà-vu, and laughed.

"Hihara-senpai, I feel like we're at Fuyuumi-chan's villa again."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But like that time, I wanted to apologize to you properly."

_Hihara-senpai…_

Giving her a million-dollar grin he urged, "You should have some of the food you prepared Kaho-chan. It's getting even later, and we should go to bed soon. We've got school tomorrow after all."

"Sounds good, Hihara-senpai"

Kazuki grabbed some forks and escorted Kahoko back to the table where they talked, joked, and ate. Before she could reach for his dishes though, he swept both sets away and headed for the sink.

"Hihara-senpai, what are you doing? !"

"The dishes," he stated matter-of-factly.

"But, Hihara-senpai, it's disgraceful for a host to let a guest do the dishes!" she protested.

"Then don't think of me as a guest and just think of me as a friend spending the night," Kazuki replied easily.

"That's really not helpful," she groaned. But she sat down in defeat and smiled at his back as he washed the dishes. Admittedly, she really didn't like doing them.

Soon it was time for bed.

"Good night, Hihara-senpai."

"Good night, Kaho-chan. Sweet dreams."

Kahoko gave him a quick little nod before entering her room and getting ready for bed. As she snuggled beneath her covers she smiled. _Hihara-senpai really is a sweet guy, isn't he?_

She smiled as she began to drift off. Suddenly, she remembered that she had forgotten to leave on a light so Kazuki could find his way to the bathroom. She crawled out of her bed and crept down the stairs, looking for the light. She turned it on and started to return to her room when she saw Kazuki's sleeping figure. His mouth was hanging slightly open with his arms and legs slightly awry. She giggled to herself and walked over to him, smiling down at him.

_Hihara-senpai looks like a kid. His hair is already kind of messy even though he hasn't been sleeping long. I think it looks best like that though; when he brushes it for performances, he doesn't look quite like himself._ Forgetting herself for a minute, she bent down and lightly brushed his hair with her left hand. _It's so soft. Hihara-senpai looks so sweet when he sleeps. Who would have thought he'd be so handsome?_ *BLUSH! ! !* She stepped back with her face aflame. _Wha-what did I just think? ! ? ! ! What did I just do? ! ? ! ! I think he's handsome? ? Why did I think that? ! Stop blushing Kahoko! Get a grip! ! I-I must be tired; that's why I'm not thinking straight. Yes, that's it. I-I need to go to bed immediately!_

She hurried up the stairs, flustered. It was a miracle that she managed to make that trip quietly and without any accidents. Shutting the door behind her, she sank to the floor and closed her eyes.

_What was that just now?_

Unbidden and in quick succession, she remembered when Kazuki had fallen on her at Shouko Fuyuumi's villa, when he asked her to call him Kazuki-senpai, when they had played _Gavotte in D_ together at the summer training camp, how she had confided in him multiple times, and how she had tenderly brushed his hair just now. Laying a hand over her heart to help quiet it, she looked up at the moon, which was shining brightly through her window.

"Maybe…maybe it's possible that I'm falling…for Hihara-senpai," she whispered quietly into the night.

* * *

**And so ends a pretty innocent sleep-over, albeit one with a somewhat interesting ending for Kahoko.**

**The idea for this scene came from "Yumeiro Patissiere" and "Kitchen Princess." I really like cooking manga for some reason. =P **

**I think there's a scene where Najika (KP) makes an apple cake from her friend and says that apples have a soothing scent, and while there's no scene that I can think of in "Yumeiro Patissiere" where they actually have pudding + slightly bitter hot chocolate, balancing tastes seems to be something that comes up again and again in the judging. Yeah, it's kind of abstract, but that's where the scene came from. The idea of Kahoko making food for Kazuki came to me, after I wrote the ice skating scene and I felt like it should be set at her house, so here we are, sleeping over after an escape from a raging snowstorm. (^_^)**


	5. Is It Love?

The morning sun peaked into Kahoko's room, slowly causing her to stir. She stretched and smiled, then looked concerned again as the events and emotions of the previous night flooded back. Burying her head in her pillow, she closed her eyes in confusion.

_What do I do? I'm not even sure of my feelings. How can I face him?_

*BANG BANG BANG*

"Kahoko? It's time for breakfast! You're going to be late for school!" her mother called through the door.

"School? ! Oh no!" she gasped, scrambling to get ready quickly. She ran down the stairs and hurried into the kitchen to meet the sight of everyone sitting around the table having a leisurely breakfast. "Huh? ? What's going on?"

Her father looked up at her with a smile and replied, "Because of the storm, the office is snowed in. Since we won't be able to get in until a little bit later, I thought we could have breakfast together for once."

"I'm sorry for making you panic, Honey, but honestly, the only way to get you to scoot in the morning is by making you think you're late for something," her mother said while smiling at her apologetically.

"Oh…" She plopped down into her seat, next to Kazuki, who surprisingly wasn't shoveling food into his mouth as if his life depended on it.

"So Hihara-san, you say that you plan to study music in college?" her father resumed.

"Yes, sir, to be honest, I'm not completely sure what I want to do with music, but I know that I want it to continue to be a large part of my life. I don't think I'll become a professional musician, although I do plan to continue to participate in community or school orchestras. I'm currently leaning toward either music education or music therapy."

"Music therapy? What is that, Hihara-san?"

"Oh! I can answer that, dad! May I, Hihara-san?"

"Go ahead, Noriko-san."

Kahoko's older sister Noriko composed herself as if giving a huge announcement. "Music therapy is when you use music to help make people, who are depressed or lonely, well. It's also used to give patients a hobby to help with motor training or just to encourage patients to continue working hard when recuperating."

"Eh? How did you know that, Sis?"

"Well I _do_ work with doctors from time to time, you know."

Kahoko smiled at her older sister. "That's true. I guess you would need to know about different options for therapy." Turning to Kazuki, she said, "That kind of job seems like it would really suit you, Hihara-senpai! After all, you're always telling me that music is something to be enjoyed and to help other people enjoy. I always feel better whenever I hear you play. I think you'd be a great music therapist!"

Kazuki blushed. Kahoko's parents glanced at each other with knowing looks in their eyes. Love was in the air.

Kahoko's father looked at his watch and announced, "I think Noriko and I had better get ready to go to work. Would you like a ride to your house, and after that, to school, Hihara-san?"

"Oh, you really don't have to do that. I don't want to cause you any inconvenience; you've been too kind already."

"It's not any inconvenience. I was planning to take Kahoko to school anyway. I haven't gotten to see her much lately because she's been busy with concours, concerts, lessons, and practicing, so I thought I would take advantage of the delay the snow has caused."

"Well, if you're sure it's no trouble, I'd be much obliged."

"Then it's settled. Why don't you call your family to let them know that we're coming, and we'll leave in 5-10 minutes depending on how long it takes Noriko to get ready." He winked.

Noriko stuck out her tongue at him, muttering, "I just need to do my makeup, geez."

Kahoko giggled. "I'll go brush my teeth and be right back."

"I'll leave everyone's lunches on the shoe cabinet, so don't forget to grab them. Oh, and I took the liberty of making one for you too, Hihara-san." Kahoko's mother nodded toward the four lunches she was preparing on the counter.

"Th-thank you very much!" He bowed to her. "You're really too kind!"

"Please stop bowing; it's really not any trouble. I hope you will enjoy your lunch."

"I-I will! Thank you! I'm going to go call my parents now."

- (^_^) -

After arriving at Kazuki's house, Kahoko accompanied him to the door, and chatted with his mother while waiting for him to get together his school things. Although they didn't get to talk for long, Kahoko liked the frank, kindly-faced woman. Kahoko was a bit embarrassed by how profusely she thanked her for hosting her son for the night, but she knew that if she were ever in the same position, she'd probably do the same thing.

When they got to school, Kazuki and Kahoko went their separate ways to their classes. When Kahoko got to class, she looked around for Mio and Nao, but didn't see them. Laying her head on her desk, she heaved a sigh, finally allowing herself to think about the events and possible revelations of the previous night.

"Good morning Kaho-chan! Is something wrong?" Mio came up behind her.

"Yeah, why are you sighing already? We got extra time to sleep in and finish up homework. How could you possibly be bummed?" Nao added, looking down at Kahoko.

"Mio! Nao! I err…umm…"

"Good morning, everyone. We're getting a late start today, so please turn quickly to page 75 of your English books and we'll start reviewing," their English teacher announced as she strode through the door.

_Phew! Saved by the teacher! I'm sorry Mio, Nao, but I'm just not ready to talk about it. I'm still so confused. Why did I think those things last night? Do I really like Hihara-senpai?_

"Hino-san? Hino-san!"

"Ah! Yes? !" she shot to attention.

"Please pay attention. We're already short on time. You'll get off with a warning this time, but please keep your head out of the clouds today."

"Y-yes, Ma'am."

Turning to Mio, she continued, "Takato-san, please start reading the passage at the bottom of page 75…"

- ( ! _ ! ) -

During lunch, Kahoko sat outside with Mio, Nao, Manami Mori, her accompanist from the concours; Nami Amou, a girl from the Journalism Club who had covered all news related to the concours; and Shouko Fuyuumi, a fellow former concours participant.

"So how are your preparations going for the Christmas Eve concert?" Nami asked Shouko and Kahoko.

Shaking her head, Kahoko replied, "I've been listening to a lot of CDs and practicing my old songs hoping that I'll find one to be my 'heartfelt melody,' but I just can't figure out a tune. How're things going for you, Fuyuumi-chan?"

"I…I think I've found a piece, Kaho-senpai," Shouko said in a somewhat timid, but glad voice.

"I'm really looking forward to the concert! It's been awhile since we've heard you two play," Nao commented.

"Well, you'll need to figure out something soon, Hino-san, or we're going to be in trouble," Manami joked.

*sigh*

"What's wrong Mio?" Kahoko looked at her friend's glum face in concern.

"I just don't understand it Kaho-chan. How can you be surrounded by all these guys and yet not have any sort of romance with _any_ of them? ? The Violin Romance Legend will end with you at this rate!" Mio exclaimed dramatically.

"Eh? ! ? ! What're you saying Mio?"

"Oh? Are you interested in one of them, Hino-chan?" Nami asked with a particular glint in her eye.

"Eh? ! ? ! D-don't tease me, Amou-san! They're all my good friends!" But Kahoko looked more flustered than usual, especially with her still unsettled emotions.

"I don't believe you," Nami stated flatly. "Something's off about you today, and when you protested you looked slightly guilty. Heh, heh, it looks like I've stumbled upon a scoop! Now how can I spin this into a story…?"

"He~h? What do you mean I look guilty? There's really no story! Stop it already!" Kahoko looked increasingly flustered.

"I'm in agreement with you, Amou-san. You're hiding something Kaho. I'm your best friend, I can tell," Nao said gravely. "You're getting far too flustered to not be lying, and you were acting kind of strangely this morning. You never were a good liar." *sigh* "Amou-san, I know you'd really like to do a story, but while I know that Kaho is hiding something, can you please not try to exploit it for a story, at least for now? I have a feeling this is something that is causing her much pain and consternation. I'm guessing there are a lot of unresolved feelings still. It would be best to wait."

"Thank you, Nao."

"I'm not a complete monster, Hino-chan. Making people embarrassed I have no problem with, but if something is wrong, I won't increase your pain."

"Thank you, Amou-san that means a lot to me."

Manami interrupted, "This is all well and good, but Hino-san, who is this mystery boy? Maybe if you talk to us, we can help you figure some things out. Of course, Amou-san will need to take an oath to not spill a word, even if it's to save the paper."

Kahoko shook her head. "I don't see as there's much to talk about. I'm not even sure if I like him. We've just been in some slightly embarrassing situations lately that are forcing me to think of him romantically more and more. I don't know if you could call that liking someone…"

"So there _is_ a boy," Nami crowed triumphantly.

"Amou-sa~n!" Kahoko protested.

Wanting to help her distressed friend, Shouko cut in. "Uh, Umm…I don't know much about love but…if that's all you think your feelings are, then maybe…you don't like him. I-I mean, being embarrassed isn't the same thing as liking someone, right?" she murmured.

All the girls nodded in agreement.

"Fuyuumi-chan is right, Kaho," Mio said with a sympathetic smile, "If it's only embarrassment, then it's not love."

Looking relieved, Kahoko smiled, "Thank you, all of you. I feel so much better now, like a load has been taken off my mind."

_If it's only embarrassment, then I can get over that. At least now I don't have to wonder about what kind of relationship I have with Hihara-senpai. We're good friends. That's all._

Manami smiled, "That's what friends are for."

"Yes, yes it is…"

_Friends are wonderful. Where would I be without them? I've made so many good friends since entering the concours…Hmm…Friendship…? Maybe…yeah! That's not a bad idea!_

"I think I know what I'll play for the concert!"

"Ooh! What?" the girls chorused.

"Pachelbel's _Canon in D_, you remember it, Mori-san? I played it for the second selection. I originally chose that song because of my friendship with Mio and Nao. In that same vein, I'd like to dedicate that song to all of you, to all of my friends. The power and love found in friendship will be my heartfelt melody."

"That sounds great!" Nami nodded.

*BRRRRRING* It was the end of lunch.

"Mori-san, when will you be free so we can practice?" Kahoko asked.

"I'm free for a couple of hours this afternoon. It's not enough time to do a really comprehensive practice, but if we use it mostly as a brush-up session, then it should be sufficient until later. How about we compare schedules tomorrow so we'll have some time to figure out everything we have going on?"

"That sounds great. Thank you so much! See you later!"

The girls parted ways.

- (-_-;) -

On their way back to class, Manami and Shouko ran into Kazuki.

"Fuyuumi-chan! Mori-chan! How're you?"

"Hihara-senpai! Hello! We're doing well, how about you?" Manami smiled at the cheerful boy.

"I'm doing great! This has been a great day, and I had a really good lunch!" He rubbed his stomach happily.

"I-I'm glad to hear that, Hihara-senpai…W-what did you e-eat?" Shouko stuttered, trying to be polite.

"I had a boxed lunch."

"Ah…I see. I…I'm glad you enjoyed your lunch, Hihara-senpai. I-I'm sorry but, if it would be alright with you, I-I need to go to my class, so…good bye, Hihara-senpai." Shouko ran off to her class.

"I need to go to class too, Hihara-senpai. Bye!" Manami waved at the boy while walking off.

_**Fuyuumi-chan is really shy. Sometimes I wonder if she thinks I'm going to eat her…But Kaho-chan's mom's boxed lunch was really great! No wonder Kaho-chan is such a good cook!**_

Azuma caught up to his friend after graciously excusing himself from his gaggle of fan girls. "Why are you standing here spacing out, Hihara?"

"Oh! Yunoki! I didn't see you there. I ran into Fuyuumi-chan and Mori-chan and was telling them about my lunch. I was just thinking that Fuyuumi-chan's really, really shy. Sometimes I wonder if she's scared of me. Heh…heh…" f(^_^;)

"Fuyuumi-san is a very delicate girl; I think if she gains more confidence, she'll be much better grounded," Azuma said wisely. "You seemed to be eating your lunch today with more relish than you usually do. Did your mom make you a boxed lunch this morning? It looked homemade."

"Actually, it wasn't my mom. It was Kaho-chan's mom."

"Hino-san's?" Azuma looked surprised. He quickly hid a dark look that momentarily crossed his lovely face.

"Yeah, I walked her home in that blizzard yesterday, but by the time we got there, the storm had gotten really bad, so I ended up staying the night. Kaho-chan has a really warm family. They were so kind and hospitable." (^_^)

"I see…"

The two friends walked back to class.

* * *

**For the next few chapters, we'll be taking a break from focusing on Kazuki and Kahoko's relations with each other and be starting some detours. Although this is a Kazuki x Kahoko fic, I want everyone to find love, so I'll be pairing up the other concours participants too. ****Based on my cast list, can you guess who's going to be paired up?**

**I wrote in the girls' lunch conversation mostly to make it easier for Kahoko to deny her feelings. Unfortunate it may be, but for her to know that she likes him and not do anything about it for the number of chapters that I needed in order to pair up everyone else is unrealistic, so I needed to figure out a way to delay her coming to terms with her true feelings. Unfortunately, in the process, I kind of made Shouko the bad guy a bit since she's the one who provides the excuse, but honestly, if all you were told was that your friend gets embarrassed in embarrassing situations, what _else_ could you suggest? Especially when combined with a desire to keep your friend from being ripped apart by the Queen of Nosy Questions herself. Kahoko was nice and vague too, making it difficult to draw the conclusions that _should_ have been drawn (if I didn't need to buy time for the rest of the story). f(^_^;)**

**Please review!**

**On a side note, can anyone tell me if there's any other way to separate sections of a chapter other than by using a horizontal line? I had originally had little music notes, but this site doesn't support it, even when I went in and edited the HTML code! So for now I'm using emoticons. I'll do different ones to make it interesting for now, I guess.**


	6. Manami's Confession

"Thank you so much for practicing with me on such short notice, Mori-san."

"It's no problem, Hino-san. I will admit that I'm glad that we won't need to work on a brand new song."

"True, with the break the day before the concert, we've been drowning under the extra work. Well, I guess I'll see you later."

"Yup." Manami hesitated for a second before speaking again. "Um…actually, Hino-san, if you have a moment, I…I have something I wanted to ask you…"

"What is it, Mori-san?" Kahoko turned to the now serious-faced girl curiously.

"That guy that you weren't sure you liked, was it…was it Tsuchiura-kun?" Manami asked with a bit of trepidation.

"EH? ! ? ! Tsuchiura-kun? ! No, it wasn't him! !"

"Really? I'm so glad," Manami replied looking relieved.

"Mori-san, do you still like Tsuchiura-kun?"

Manami blushed murmuring, "More interest than like, I suppose. I don't really know him, but his piano playing is amazing. He displays a lot of power when he plays; and yet he pays attention to the tiniest nuances, letting every detail shine through without being overwhelmed. It's an intriguing performance. Since he plays soccer, it makes sense that his performances would have a lot of power in them. But his ability to control every movement isn't something picked up playing something like soccer. This makes me think that there must be something else that he's pulling from in order to strike that perfect balance. I think I could learn a lot from him and about him if we were ever in a position to talk piano more frequently… Since he's a General Studies student, he's probably decently well-rounded; but you can tell by the way he plays that he's dedicated to music." Then blushing an even deeper red, she admitted in a small voice, "Not to mention that he's totally hot…"

*giggle*

"Don't laugh!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mori-san. I'm not making fun of you, really I'm not, it's just so cute to see you like this. I know that you had expressed interest in Tsuchiura-kun even back when we had first met, but I never really heard anything else about it so I guess I thought you had stopped thinking of him that way. If there's any way that I can help you, let me know." She paused momentarily and continued, "This may not be much, but I can assure you that I don't think of Tsuchiura-kun that way, so you are home free."

Looking happy, Manami grabbed Kahoko's hands and answered, "Thank you, Hino-san! I'll be counting on your support and help!"

The two girls walked out giggling and conspiring in light of their shared secret. Manami promised to tell the rest of the girls the following day so the 6 girls could start putting their heads together. When it came time for them to go their separate ways, Manami turned and looked at Kahoko with a small smile.

"To be honest," she lowered her eyes. "I wanted to hear from you that there was nothing between you and Tsuchiura-kun. Sometimes I wondered a little because you two seemed fairly close." She looked up and grinned. "But now I'm 100% assured that I won't need to worry about competing with a friend for my man."

Kahoko beamed back. "You may find some rivals in other girls Mori-san, but you won't have to worry about me being your rival in love," she grinned mischievously, "At least not this time!"

The two laughed and bid each other good bye, walking in opposite directions.

* * *

**And so we find out the first non-main character pairing! I don't know why, but for me at least, while I always thought that Ryoutaro was a great guy, he always seemed a) more like a good friend than anything else, and b) like someone who would be able to move on with his life pretty easily if he didn't end up with Kahoko. That's by no means a bad thing, but I almost feel like if that's the case, then it would probably be better for her to end up with someone who would have a harder time. I'm sure his feelings for Kahoko are true and strong, but at the same time, he is realistic. Life goes on, and so will he. **

**But yeah, that's why it was easy for me to pair him off with someone else. Since Manami already likes him, and they share a love of piano, I thought, "Why not?" It seems like I'm not the only one since there're multiple Tsuchiura x Mori fanfics on this site. (^_^) I hope she's not too out of character.**

**Next chapter we'll see a new face. (^_^)**

**As always, please review!**


	7. The New Girl

**Hello! Hello! Thank you to everyone who's been reading this!**

**Jiyu22: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you like the emoticons. I was kind of afraid that they'd be too dorky and distracting, so it's encouraging to know that at least one person thinks that they're cute. (^_^)v And thank you for complimenting my girls' lunch conversation and for pointing out that Kahoko was reheating her cake in a toaster. (^_^;) It's actually supposed to be a toaster oven, so I went back and fixed it. Hopefully that should make more sense to future readers. I've never actually owned a normal, stand up toaster, so I just kind of wrote "toaster" and pictured a toaster oven in my head. (^^;)**

**kazuki: Thank you for reviewing! I'm sure you were very relieved to see from the chapter title that the new character is going to be a girl. (^_^) To be honest, until you mentioned it, it never occurred to me to write in another guy character. The thought of juggling the original five was mind-boggling enough for me! *laughs***

* * *

"So Tsuchiura-kun is officially out of the running in the Violin Romance, huh?" Nami asked, her eyes boring into Kahoko intently.

"Yes," Kahoko replied calmly, without batting an eye.

Nodding with a satisfied look on her face, she said, "In that case Mori-san, we'll need to get to work on Operation Love!"

Manami blushed. "That's such a tacky name Amou-san," she protested witheringly. "Not to mention that it implies that Tsuchiura-kun is some sort of fortress to be conquered. Besides," she cracked, "If I wanted a barricaded, high security fortress to conquer, I'd go for Tsukimori-kun."

At that, the girls burst out laughing.

"That-that's true, isn't it? He is rather icy and guarded," Nami acknowledged, chuckling. "Oh! Speaking of love, did you hear about Yunoki-senpai?"

"No! What did you hear? Spill it!" the girls chorused.

"Well apparently his family has finally actually gotten him engaged to a girl. She's the heiress of the Hanazawa Corporation, Sumire Hanazawa. Looking at the information I managed to dig up on the rest of the family, they all seem to be named after flowers or have flowers somewhere in their names. I guess it makes sense seeing as the first kanji in their last name is flower. But back to Sumire Hanazawa-san," Nami flipped open her notepad and read off the fruits of her research. "She looks a lot like a model, being slim and beautiful. She has lavender, long hair that falls past her waist, grey eyes, and goes to Nishikawa High. She's a junior, like the rest of us. Here's a picture." Nami presented a photograph of a beautiful girl holding flowers and wearing a white dress. [photo…goodreads…com/polls/1234910821p7/9825…jpg]

"Wow~! She's so pretty!" Kahoko exclaimed. "Does she play any instruments?"

"I think she can play piano, but I don't really have any notes about it. I was thinking of doing a general interest/rumor column about it since their engagement hasn't been announced to the public yet."

"If it hasn't been announced to the public, then how do you know about it, Amou-san?" Mio looked puzzled.

"I happened to overhear Yunoki-senpai's chauffer tell him that they needed to hurry home because of the marriage meeting with the Hanazawa family. And the day after, I overheard him saying something to Yunoki-senpai about making sure to check up on his fiancée's transfer," she responded airily. Then with a wink she added, "They didn't know I was there, of course."

The girls laughed.

"I guess, it's to be expected that you could pull something like that off, Amou-senpai," Shouko murmured softly.

"I think you may be getting to meet her in due time actually, Fuyuumi-chan. You too, Hino-chan."

"Eh? !" the two girls looked surprised.

"I heard a rumor that for the concert, a girl from another school would be accompanying him on the piano. I guess Yamashita-san, the next girl in line to be Yunoki-senpai's accompanist, was crying to her friends about it."

*BRRRRRRING!*

"We'd better get back to class, Kaho, Mio," Nao rose and collected her things. "See you around!"

The girls rose and went their separate ways. When they got back to their classroom, Mio, Nao, and Kahoko took their seats.

Just as the math lesson was starting to get miserable, there was a knock on the door and the door slid open. Ryoutaro poked his head in and bowed.

"Excuse me, but may I borrow Hino? The principal wants all the former concours participants along with their accompanists for something."

"Very well, Tsuchiura-kun. Hino-san, you are dismissed."

Looking relieved, Kahoko rose from her seat and left with Ryoutaro.

"I wonder why the principal wanted our accompanists too."

"Who knows?" Ryoutaro shrugged. "How've your preparations for the concert been going though? Have you chosen a piece?"

"Yeah. I'm playing Pachelbel's _Canon in D_ again. How about you?"

"I haven't quite chosen my piece yet. I really should choose one soon. I have a few different songs in mind, but I haven't been able to commit to one quite yet." He smiled at her frankly. "I'm glad to hear you've got your choice scored away though." He looked up. "Here's the room."

They swung the door open and walked through.

* * *

**Yay! Another chapter! I'm sorry it's kind of an uneventful one though...I'll try to get the next chapter out soon to make up for it! v(^_^)v**

**Since Azuma is already having finacee candidates and the like, I thought it would make the most sense for him to be paired up with an outside character. Even if he cares for Kahoko, I think it would be difficult for him to actually be with her. The best and most realistic outcome for him, at least in my mind, would be for him to find happiness within the confines that he's been living in all this time. I suppose the fact that I don't _like_ Azuma does bias my decision, but oh well.**

**So this chapter introduced a new character, Sumire Hanazawa, but we won't meet her quite yet. "Sumire" means "violet" in Japanese, which is why Nami made a comment about the family having flowers incorporated somewhere in their names. When I was little, I read some Japanese story and one of the character's names was "Sumire." I've liked that name ever since. (^_^) Her last name, Hanazawa (hana = flower), was taken from _Hana Yori Dango_'s Rui Hanazawa, one of the main characters. If you haven't seen the Japanese drama version, I _highly_ recommend it!**

**As always, please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**


	8. An Unexpected Twist

**Yay! Another chapter! Thank you to everyone who's been reading, and special thanks to those who have been reviewing!**

**kazuki****: Thank you for reviewing! You were so fast! I'm impressed! (^_^) I'm glad you're happy. I'm guessing you were very glad to see that the new character posed no threat to the Hino x Hihara relationship. v(^-^)v *laughs***

* * *

"Hino-san! Over here," Manami waved.

Kahoko smiled at her friend as she took a seat next to her. "Mori-san, do you have any idea why you were called here too?" She brightened up when she noticed the person on the other side of Manami. "Oh! And you're here too Shouji-san! It's nice to see you again."

"The pleasure is mine, Hino-senpai." Kahoko's accompanist for the final selection of the concours, Megumi Shouji, bobbed her head toward Kahoko as she returned the greeting. "I'm honestly surprised that I'm here. After all, Mori-senpai was your main accompanist."

Shrugging, Manami replied, "Beats me. I guess as long as you participated in the concours, they invited you here." She looked around the room. "Maybe they want one accompanist per participant for some reason?" she said thoughtfully, noting that the number of participants equaled the number of accompanists. Then, noticing that Ryoutaro was hanging around, she continued brightly, "How are you, Tsuchiura-kun?"

"I'm good. How have you been lately, Mori-san?"

"I've been well, thank you. Oh! Thank you for the tips you gave me the other day. I think my playing has gotten better. If you wouldn't mind helping me again sometime, I'd appreciate it."

"Sure, no problem; the Soccer Club can't really practice much with all the snow, so we've mostly been doing conditioning on our own. Let me know when you'd like me to listen to you play."

"I will. Thank you very much." Manami gave a little nod.

As Kahoko was giving Manami a secret victory sign, the door opened to reveal Azuma. Bowing to Hiroto Kanazawa-sensei, he apologized for his tardiness.

"Unfortunately, my accompanist will be unable to join us today. Is it absolutely imperative that she comes?"

"We-ell…I suppose as long as you can explain things properly to her, it's alright if she misses this meeting. Has she decided to transfer schools, or will she remain at her current one?"

"She has decided to stay. Since the concert will be housed at an outside location and practices will be during non-school hours, she thought it would not disrupt things terribly for her to continue to attend her current school with her friends."

"Ok. Well then, let's get this meeting started. So you all know about the concert that's coming up."

The students nodded. The various expressions across their faces ranged from expectant to slightly puzzled.

"Well, to raise family appeal for the concert and to help promote the new elementary school that's being built, we're expanding the concert into an exhibition, complete with an afternoon music clinic that will be run by you guys."

Some of the students gasped in shock while others looked at Hiroto in stunned silence.

"But Kanayan, we're already swamped with work!" Kazuki whined. "How are we going to juggle preparing for that too?"

"Idiot, this clinic is for kids. This isn't a high-class performance you're giving here. Of course you need to perform well, but you're going to be assigned easy songs to teach the kids. If 5-year-olds can play these, then all of you should be able to play them blindfolded. They'll be a piece of cake."

Everyone looked relieved except for Kahoko, who was still slightly unsure as to what was considered "a piece of cake."

"Oh, and one other thing: for this clinic, to make things a little more interesting, the principal wants to you to switch accompanists."

Confused, nervous whispering broke out among the students. Changing accompanists? This was so strange. What if they weren't compatible? Who would get stuck with Len? Would he terrorize his new accompanist? Why were they doing this?

"Don't ask me. It was his idea. So…all of you participants come up here and draw a name out of this hat, but don't look until you've all gotten your papers."

Everyone except for Ryoutaro marched up and drew a name.

"Oi, Tsuchiura, you too."

"I play piano, remember? I don't need an accompanist."

"Well, yes," Hiroto replied while scratching his head, "But you'll need an assistant. Teaching by yourself will be difficult, especially since we're expecting a fair number of people to be interested in the piano. That's why we requested for Hino's accompanist from the final selection, Megumi Shouji, to be here too. Now come get your slip of paper."

Sighing, Ryoutaro made his way up and snatched his slip of paper out of the hat.

"Call out the name on the paper and your accompanist will join you, so you can start figuring out practice times. Let's start with Shimizu."

"Yes…Kanagawa-sensei…"

"It's Kanazawa," Hiroto muttered.

"My accompanist…will be…Rie Nozaki."

Shouko's accompanist rose, walked over to Keiichi and said, "I look forward to working with you Shimizu-kun."

"Yes…I look forward…to working with you…too…"

Shouko looked at her slip and read, "Uh, umm…Soujiro Andou will be my accompanist."

Keiichi's accompanist walked over and smiled at her. "It looks like Nozaki-san and I have switched places. Let's do our best."

"Y-yes…"

Tsukimori looked at his, and with an expressionless voice stated, "Megumi Shouji." He then resumed his normal reticence.

_I know Shouji-san used to like Tsukimori-kun before. I wonder if her feelings are still there. Heh…heh…if she manages to get past his icy exterior, then her love for him is really strong!_

Kahoko giggled to herself, watching the young pianist walk toward Len.

Next came Azuma. "My accompanist will be Tsukasa Hasegawa."

"Awesome! Don't worry, Yunoki, you're in good hands with Tsukasa!" Kazuki beamed. Switching tracks, he read his slip. "My accompanist will be Isamu Kashino." He frowned briefly while scanning the room, before brightening as his eyes alighted on a solemn-faced youth with wavy, black hair. "You're Tsukimori's accompanist right? Let's have a lot of fun!"

The other boy looked slightly taken aback at Kazuki's friendliness, but managed to smile back. "Alright, Hihara-senpai."

Tsuchiura looked at his, glanced at Kahoko, and read, "Manami Mori." Smiling frankly at the girl, he laughed, "I guess we'll have ample opportunity to work on your playing now."

Barely managing to contain her excitement, Manami replied, "Yes!"

Kahoko and Shouko grinned at Manami's good luck.

_Way to go Mori-san! This is your chance!_

_Mori-senpai looks so happy. I hope things go well for her. I think she and Tsuchiura-senpai will work well together._

Kahoko slowly read her paper, "Sumire Hanazawa." Looking curiously at Azuma, she asked, "Yunoki-senpai, is this your accompanist?"

"Yes. Since she goes to a different school, I will arrange for the two of you to meet at your earliest convenience."

"Thank you, Yunoki-senpai; I look forward to meeting her."

* * *

**And that's all for now! So…again, we don't quite meet Sumire Hanazawa yet, but you now know who gets paired up with Len eventually. (^_^) My reasoning for choosing Megumi Shouji was similar in my reasoning in choosing Manami Mori for Ryoutaro: she already liked him. I think she learned her lesson back in the actual anime, so I'm willing to let bygones be bygones and write in a little romance for her. (^_^)**

**Most of the accompanists won't figure prominently in the story, but I figured I'd ramble a bit and tell you how I came up with their names anyway. Rie Nozaki and Tsukasa Hasegawa are the actual names of Shouko and Kazuki's accompanists in the anime. Keiichi's accompanist Soujiro Andou is a combination of **_**Hana Yori Dango**_**'s Soujiro Nishikado and **_**Yumeiro Patissiere**_**'s Sennosuke Andou. Len's accompanist Isamu Kashino is a combination of one of my brothers' middle names Isamu and **_**Yumeiro Patissiere**_**'s Makoto Kashino.**

**Now a little about this scene—the children's music clinic was contrived mostly to help get my couples in the right place. I knew that I wanted Len and Megumi to spend time together, but I needed a good music-related reason. After all, when it comes to Len, it has to be music-related, right? (^_^) Once I hit upon the idea for a clinic, I decided to scramble all of the accompanists around making sure that Len paired with Megumi, Ryoutaro with Manami, and Kahoko with Sumire. As long as those three things happened, it didn't matter that much to me who got paired with whom.**

**In the next chapter we'll finally meet the lavender-haired heiress with an interesting past.**

**Please review!**** Thank you! (^_^)/~**


	9. The Piano Prince

**Good evening! Thank you so much for reading up to this point! As always, a special thanks to my reviewers! I'm always excited to see that someone has taken the time to review my stories.**

**kazuki****: Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm always so surprised by how little time goes by before you review! It makes me really happy to know that you're enjoying this fic and are actively keeping an eye out for it. Thank you for your support!**

**Bloody Hell****: Thank you for reviewing. Considering that it seems like you haven't liked the story, I'm not sure if you've made it this far, but I'd like to respond to your reviews anyway. **

**I'm sorry you don't like the story. I suppose the first two chapters are very link-heavy, but they were provided for those who wished to use them. I'm sorry that you felt they were a waste of your time. **

**As for the musical voice thing, I suppose in reality no one actually has a musical voice, but if you're in love with someone, then it's not impossible for your loved one's voice to take on a sweet, musical quality. **

**As for your comment about the cake…I'm not completely sure what to make of it. **

**I'm sorry that you don't like the story, but I appreciate that you stuck with it for as long as you did and even commented on each chapter. Thank you.**

**meow meow****: Thank you for taking the time to review. I'm sorry you don't like the story either. **

**I'm sorry you think the lines are cliché in the ice skating chapter, but unfortunately, you'll have to take that up with the creators of Kiniro no Corda as I was basically just translating what they wrote for that chapter. **

**I do know how to use proper punctuation most of the time, but I do sometimes/often create comma splices unintentionally. Commas are my weakest point. As for the bold/italics/underline thing, I explained in the preliminaries that these things are being used to represent a certain character's thoughts. I suppose it's unconventional, but it was the easiest way for me to keep track of everyone's thoughts without having to write, "Kazuki thought," or, "Kahoko pondered," or "Len wondered," all over the story. If you could be troubled to point out my other punctuation errors to me, I'd appreciate it. I try to preserve punctuation as much as possible without sacrificing colloquial style, but no one is perfect, least of all me. (^_^) **

**Thank you for sticking with the story for as long as you did. And thank you especially for taking time out of your day to comment too.**

* * *

Kahoko sat in one of the practice rooms, tuning and warming up, while waiting for the mysterious Sumire Hanazawa. A few minutes later, a knock sounded. When she looked up, she saw Azuma in the window on the door. When she went to put down her violin, Azuma entered, followed by a beautiful girl.

"Hino-san, this is my fiancée Sumire Hanazawa. I hope you two will have a good rehearsal." Turning to Sumire, he asked, "Would you like me to pick you up when you're done?"

In shock, Kahoko heard the girl harshly reply, "Do whatever you want. I can get my own ride back. I don't need you to babysit me."

Placidly, with the ever-kind smile fixed on his face, Azuma replied, "As you wish, Sumire-san. Good bye Hino-san."

Kahoko, looking slightly stunned, turned to face the girl who was eyeing the door with an unpleasant expression on her face. She then stammered, "Uh…umm…H-hello…I'm Kahoko Hino. It's…nice to meet you…"

Suddenly looking apologetic, the girl turned to her. "It's nice to meet you Hino-san. I'm sorry you had to witness that scene just now, but I honestly can't stand Yunoki-san sometimes. There's just something about him that really gets under my skin." Noticing Kahoko's surprised expression, she laughed a bit self-consciously, "I'm guessing you thought I'd be worshipping the ground that he walks on like most other girls. Well, I'm not like that, but now I'm stuck being engaged to him so I'll have to make the best of it." Pulling a score out of her bag she looked at it and continued, "We're playing Gossec's _Gavotte in D_, correct?"

Snapping out of her shock, Kahoko responded, "Oh! Y-yes! Sorry Hanazawa-san, I was kind of spacing out."

Flashing her an understanding smile, Sumire softened her voice and assured, "I promise that I'm not like that usually. I'm normally pretty pleasant and easy to get along with. It's just _him_ that I don't get along with."

"Umm…Hanazawa-san, if you don't mind my asking, why is that?"

She became quiet for a second and nodded as if deciding something. "Tell you what, Hino-san, I can tell a decent amount about a person by hearing him or her play. The story is a bit personal, so why don't we get to know each other a little bit first before we talk about things like that? Do you mind?"

Blushing, Kahoko replied, "Oh no! I don't mind at all! I didn't mean to pry."

Releasing a tinkling laugh, Sumire smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, Hino-san. I like you already, but I've just met you, so I'm not quite ready to share about something like that. Shall we try going through it from the top?"

The cheerful music filled the music room (youtube...com/watch?v=B45t4-ayvY0). Sumire was a good accompanist; she took her cues perfectly from Kahoko. They soon found themselves thoroughly enjoying the experience. As the last note rang out clear and strong, Sumire looked at Kahoko and grinned.

"That sounded great! You're familiar with this song, aren't you? Even though it is a simple piece, you played it with a familiarity that can't be obtained by sight reading."

"Yes, I have played this song before. It's actually one of my favorites."

"Really? Why?"

"Well…" Kahoko smiled. "It was the first song that I ever really learned how to play; I really grew as a violinist by playing this song. It was my first duet too." She smiled more brightly. "This song holds a lot of fond memories for me and never fails to pick up my spirits. It's such a cute, happy song." Looking tenderly at her violin she added, "I never really understood what it meant to truly enjoy playing music until I played _Gavotte_. It has a very special place in my heart."

Sumire smiled softly at the red-haired girl. "You put your all into your music and have a sincere heart. I'm really moved by your love for music. I think I can trust you with my secret." She grinned cheekily, "And the fact that you don't seem to be terribly affected by Yunoki-san is an added bonus. Why don't we get dinner or something after practice, and I'll tell you all about Yunoki-san."

"Oh, ok…If you're sure…" she didn't want to pry, but she couldn't deny that she was curious.

"I'm sure." The girl smiled at her winningly. "Now that that's settled, shall we get back to work?"

The two girls played for a couple more hours, fine tuning and polishing. Then they walked to a nearby okonomiyaki restaurant. The place was crowded, but had a friendly atmosphere.

When their bowls of okonomiyaki ingredients came, Kahoko watched in amazement as Sumire expertly mixed the contents of her bowl.

Noticing Kahoko's surprised look, Sumire explained, "Even though I'm the heiress to a large corporation, I like this kind of food better sometimes." She paused momentarily to brush a strand of hair from her face. "While my father's family boasts a long line of successful businessmen with upper-class lifestyles, my mother was a normal middle-class person, so I'm familiar with more normal fare."

"Ah, so that's why you know how to make okonomiyaki," Kahoko mused as they poured their mixtures onto the hot plate. "How did they meet?"

"They met in college and fell in love. Actually, my grandparents were opposed to their marriage at first, but eventually they agreed. It was kind of dumb. Even though they really liked my mother when my parents were dating, as soon as it became 'serious' she suddenly wasn't good enough. But my mother wasn't about to give up, and won their hearts all over again."

"That's such a romantic story," Kahoko murmured dreamily.

"Yes, it is," she agreed. "But you wanted to hear about Yunoki-san. Well, let's see." Sumire tapped her chin thoughtfully. "The first time I saw him was in first grade. My grandparents used to have a house that backed to part of the Yunoki property. At the time, I was also taking piano lessons, but I didn't really like piano that much at the time. To me it was boring and just another burden that I had to bear to be acceptable to high society. But that all changed when I heard Yunoki-san play. It was a hot summer day…"

*flashback*

"Sumire Hanazawa! You come out right now! We'll be late for your piano lesson! This is no time for playing hide-and-seek! I mean it, young lady!" A slim, woman with short, dark hair was thoroughly and angrily searching the yard.

"_Where to hide? Where to hide? I don't _want_ to go to my stupid piano lesson! I don't see what the point is. It's not any fun, and I'm not any good at it. But she's getting closer…where can I hide? !_"

Sumire looked around quickly before spying a small hole hidden behind a bush. She quickly raced over to it and inspected it.

"_It's a little small, but I think I can get through without ruining my dress. I'd better hurry! She's coming!_" Quick as a wink, she scrambled through the hole and found herself in a beautifully manicured garden. "_Wow~! What is this place? It's incredible! It's even more amazing than grandmother's garden!_" She wandered happily around the garden, taking in the beautiful sights when she suddenly slowed to a stop. She cocked her head toward the house. "_What's that sound?_" She walked slowly toward the music. She soon saw a young boy playing a piano in a room with a silk print door. The outside doors had been pulled back to let in some air.

*end flashback*

She paused, smiling fondly at the memory. "I don't know how long I stood there, drinking in the sound. His music was enchanting and moving. I had never known that music could be so wonderful. I guess I fell in love with him then. He's the one who first introduced me to the wonders of music." She laughed. I got quite a scolding when I finally made my way back to my grandmother's house, but from that day on, I faithfully went to my piano lessons after listening to him practice."

"Huh? But if you loved him, then why?"

Holding up her hand to stay Kahoko's comments, she grabbed two metal spatulas and carefully flipped their okonomiyaki. They were a beautiful golden brown. She then continued with a saddened look, "Unfortunately, a month later, Yunoki-san was forced to quit piano. As it so happens, it was also about the same time that my grandparents moved to their current residence."

"Why would he need to quit?" Kahoko asked, puzzled, "Didn't you say that he was good?"

Sumire replied, "Ironically, it was because he was good that he had to quit. He was too good. Being the third son of the Yunoki family, he wasn't allowed to surpass his older brothers. At that time, I'm guessing he switched over to flute…" Her voice trailed off wistfully.

"That-that's so stupid!"

"That's what I think too. Unfortunately, Yunoki-san was too good a son. He was willing to give up control of his life and gave up the piano for the flute. Although that's a despicable thing in some ways, I can understand why; and I can't even convince myself that I'd do otherwise in his position. His grandmother is a powerful, iron-willed lady." Shaking her head to dismiss the unpleasant thought, Sumire proceeded, "The next time I saw him was actually at the concours at your school. My friend had gone to the first selection, and invited me to the second…"

*flashback*

"Hey, Mire, guess what?"

"Hmm? What's up Na-chan?" Sumire turned her face from the window to look at her eager-faced childhood friend.

"You know how Ma-kun goes to Seiso Academy across town?"

"Ma-kun…?" Sumire frowned slightly as she tried to place the name. "Oh!" she brightened as she remembered. "That's your cousin, Makoto, right? I haven't seen him in ages! What about him?"

"Well, they're currently in the middle of having an intra-school concours and he invited me to it."

"Yes, I do remember you mentioning that the other day…" She pouted teasingly. "In fact, if I recall correctly, I believe you ditched me at the mall in order to have a chance at sitting with your beloved Matsumoto-san…"

Natsume blushed furiously. "Shut up or I won't tell you the big news!" she hissed, looking around frantically to see if anyone else had heard.

"Sorry, sorry," Sumire chuckled, "So what about this concours?"

"I think I found him!" Natsume grinned.

"Found whom?"

"Your long lost love Mire! Azuma Yunoki!"

"_Azuma…Yunoki…?_" Sumire's eyes widened in shock.

"A-are you sure Na-chan?"

Natsume nodded vehemently. "I'm positive. Based on what you told me back in 3rd grade, there's no doubt about it."

"But…But now that I've found him…what do I do? ?" Sumire pressed her hands against her warm cheeks in consternation.

"The second selection for the concours is coming up. Come with me."

*end flashback*

"When I first saw his name and saw his face, I couldn't believe it; it seemed too impossible that after all this time I had finally found him. But my eyes didn't lie; I knew in my heart that he was the same boy."

Kahoko nodded as they spread their condiments on their respective okonomiyaki and started to eat.

Sumire's face darkened as she ate. "But then he started playing…"

*flashback*

"There he is Mire," Natsume whispered loudly to Sumire.

Sumire nodded briefly, unable to tear her eyes away from the face that she had cherished in her heart since she had last seen it in that hallowed piano room.

"Performer No. 6 from the Music Department, Class 3-B, Azuma Yunoki. He will be performing Massenet's 'Meditation from _Thais_.'" The announcement rang through the performance hall.

Sumire could feel herself begin to tremble in anticipation. Finally after so many years, she'd be able to hear the engaging, spell-binding music that her heart and ears had yearned to hear every day since the day she first heard him play. She closed her eyes, leaning forward slightly as if to shorten the distance between them.

The opening notes of the song blew gracefully out to the audience. But as every other girl in the audience swooned, Sumire's eyes snapped open as she recoiled from the sound.

"_What…What is this…?_" With wide eyes she stared at Azuma's graceful figure. It was like rose petals were fluttering around him in the wind. The sight was stunning, enchanting, and spell-binding; and yet…and yet…it wasn't the same music as before. Where before his music had been freely expressed and engaging, this music was tightly constrained and calculated. A maturation of his sound would have been expected, but this sound had gone a thousand steps backward from its previous point.

When the applause roared around her, she felt herself clench her fists and bite her lip as she shook in shock and anger. Compared to his playing in their youth, this performance was a sham. There was no true feeling in his music.

"What a faker…" she whispered angrily, feeling hot tears begin to form.

*end flashback*

"He wasn't even giving 50% when everyone else was devoting their all to their performances!" she exclaimed while violently waving her fork. She stabbed another piece of okonomiyaki. "I despised him. I couldn't believe how far my piano prince had fallen."

Kahoko watched her companion quietly. She couldn't quite relate because nothing like this had ever happened to her before, but the depth of Sumire's disappointment and frustration at how time and circumstances had warped Azuma she could understand.

"But then, something changed," Sumire mused. She turned to look at Kahoko meaningfully, "The third selection seemed to be hard on many of the contestants, especially you. But somehow, your distress seemed to…move him. He honestly faced his music again and gave a breathtaking performance. Since then, I've been attending various performances he's done, and have fallen in love with his music all over again." She smiled off into space, "And to think that the only reason I went to the third selection was so I could eradicate him from my heart once and for all. Instead, it cemented him in it more firmly."

Kahoko sighed, "How romantic!"

Laughing a bit sardonically, she said sadly, "It is romantic, isn't it; but now things are like this." Taking a deep breath, she put down her fork and looked at Kahoko seriously. "Hino-san, do you have any feelings for Yunoki-san?"

"EH? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ! F-for Yunoki-senpai? ? ?" Kahoko exclaimed, her face turning beet red.

"Yes. Do you have any feelings for him?" Sumire looked determinedly in Kahoko's eyes.

"H-he's a good friend to me, I guess…" Kahoko squeaked.

_Considering that he's always teasing me and making me embarrassed, I can't really call him a close friend, but he gives good advice and in a weird way was there for me when I needed guidance…_

"I see." Sumire closed her eyes. "To be honest Hino-san, I suspect he has feelings for you."

Kahoko's eyes became as round as saucers.

Before she could protest, Sumire plowed on, "It was after your strings snapped that he was able to properly face his music; and he looks at you differently. I noticed it when we were first introduced. If anyone can release him from his cage, then it is you. I would love to be the one, but I don't think Azuma-san would let me." Her eyes looked sad, filled with tears that threatened to fall. She lowered her head to hide her distress.

_Azuma-san? Hanazawa-san, you still love him, don't you? Why else would you call him by his first name when your guard is down? Even though you are always butting heads with him, it must be painful for you to think that he may love another._ She leaned forward contemplatively. _I guess when you're in love with someone, you really do want him to only look at you…_

"Hanazawa-san," Kahoko placed her hand over the girl's left hand with a sympathetic look in her eyes. "I don't see why you can't be the one to save Yunoki-senpai."

Sumire looked up at Kahoko and dejectedly replied, "I can't do it. When he's with me, he puts on his façade. He acts like the perfect human being. It kills me to know that I'm another family obligation to him." She clenched her fist. "And it irritates me to no end, because while I rage and try desperately to get him to drop his guard and be honest with me and show his true self, he continues to hide behind that mask. I feel like I'm being toyed with. It's extremely galling." She looked close to tears again.

"Eh? ! H-how do you know that he's not showing you his true self? !"

Sumire looked away slightly, took a deep breath to regain some composure, and replied quietly, "No one, not even an angel could put up with everything he does happily. He shows no emotion other than his carefully crafted smile. He acts far too perfectly." With a wistful voice and look she continued, "The boy that I fell in love with so long ago wasn't an emotionless person. He was nothing like the man that I'm engaged to marry."

Thoughtfully, Kahoko said, "Well, you're right. Yunoki-senpai is faking it."

Coming out of her reverie, Sumire asked curiously, "How do you know that?"

Taking a deep breath, Kahoko looked Sumire right in the eye. "Let me tell you about Yunoki-senpai's hidden side."

Leaning closer and talking in low voices, Kahoko proceeded to tell Sumire about Azuma's dark side, the way she discovered it, and the things he had done to her. as they finished their meal. Many times throughout the telling, Sumire looked angry and even cried out a couple of times, but she heard Kahoko through to the end.

"That-that jerk!" Sumire balled up her fists. "I have half a mind to give him a piece of my mind for treating you like that, Hino-san!"

"I-it's really alright, Hanazawa-san. It's in the past now. I generally just take care to not spend much time in his company by myself." Kahoko tried to calm down her new friend.

"But still!"

"Please don't worry about me, Hanazawa-san. I can fight my own battles."

Sighing and leaning back in her chair, Sumire nodded her acknowledgement of Kahoko's wishes. A sad look came over her face. "Poor Azuma-san…I guess he finally had to crack," she murmured. She fixed her eyes on Kahoko's, "But…Hino-san, doesn't what you just said prove that you're the one who has to free him from his prison?"

"What? ! Why?"

"Because he already has chosen you," Sumire looked at her sadly. "It was to you that he finally revealed his true self. Even though I am to become his wife… Isn't this the best proof of all that it's you that he wants, not me?" she whispered as tears started to fall from her beautiful eyes.

"Don't cry, Hanazawa-san! I'm sure Yunoki-senpai will return your love someday. I have confidence in you, so please, please don't give up." Tears began to come to Kahoko's eyes too. "I can't stand seeing you look like this. I truly believe you can reach Yunoki-senpai's heart, so please..."

Looking up into Kahoko's eyes, Sumire whispered through her tears, "Thank you, Hino-san. That means a lot to me." Like a true lady of class, Sumire wiped away her tears and composed herself before speaking again. "Umm…Hino-san, if it's ok, do you mind if we head back? I would like to sleep on everything that has happened today."

"Of course, Hanazawa-san."

"Please…call me Sumire." She gave a small smile, "I feel like we've gotten a lot closer over these past few hours."

Nodding, Kahoko smiled back at her. "Very well, Sumire-chan. In that case, please call me by my first name too."

The two girls got up, paid their bill, and waited outside for Sumire's chauffer.

After dropping her off, Sumire called out, "Bye, Kaho-chan! I'll see you around. I have some exams soon, so I won't be free to practice much. Why don't we practice on our own for now, and we'll work extra hard once I'm done."

"That sounds good, Sumire-chan! Good night! Thanks for the ride!" Sumire turned to tell her driver to leave, but before she could say anything, Kahoko turned to speak. "Oh! And Sumire-chan!"

Sumire turned to look back at Kahoko.

"I truly have no romantic feelings for him, so please, use your new-found knowledge to make him yours! I'll be cheering you on!" she called.

"Thank you, Kaho-chan!" Sumire cried, as tears sprung to her eyes, "You don't know how happy I am to hear that!"

The two girls waved good bye. As Kahoko turned to go into the house, Sumire drove away, left to sort out her thoughts.

_

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_

**_Wow! This chapter is really, really long! But I guess considering that I had to do a bunch of character development, it can't be helped. The inspiration for this character came from another Kiniro no Corda fic called "Durch Leiden Freude" by Kaho Yukimura (if you have a chance, you should read it). I liked the idea of her being someone who had been in Azuma's past, although he didn't know it._**

**_Considering that Sumire and Kahoko have only known each other a very short time, it may seem a little odd that they would refer to each other by their first names especially when Kahoko still refers to Manami, Nami, and Shouko by their last names. I reasoned that since they just kind of shared deep secrets with each other, it showed that they had a deeper relationship that would warrant a first-name basis even if they hadn't been friends for very long. So I guess on the friend spectrum, she's in between Shouko and Mio and Nao, probably closer to Shouko's side._**

_**Let's see…for new character names (not that it matters a whole lot because they probably won't show up again), I borrowed heavily from Yumeiro Patissiere****. Natsume is the name of the main character's sister and Makoto is from Makoto Kashino. Natsume's crush Matsumoto is taken from Jun Matsumoto, an actor from the Japanese dramatization of Hana Yori Dango****. **_

**_For the next chapter, I'm planning to return to Kazuki and Kahoko, so look forward to it! (^_^)v. I think we've accomplished enough on our detour so now we can return to the main stars of this story. Yay! v(^-^)v_**

_**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**_


	10. Distractions

**Good afternoon! Thank you so much for reading up to this point! As always, a special thanks to my reviewers! I'm always excited to see that someone has taken the time to review my stories.**

**kazuki****: Thank you so much for reviewing! Here is a return to Kazuki x Kahoko as promised. Your enthusiasm is contagious! (^_^)**

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"Hino-chan! ! !" Nami pounced on Kahoko as soon as she entered the front gate.

"Amou-san!" The girl recoiled in surprise at the attack.

Nami grabbed the poor girl's arm and unceremoniously dragged her over to the side. She frowned at Kahoko with a slightly put-out expression on her face. "Why didn't you tell me that Yunoki-senpai's fiancée was your accompanist for the clinic? ? ? This is huge!"

"Ah…! Sorry Amou-san…"

"Well, to make up for it, you'll just need to get me an interview with her." Nami grinned deviously.

"Ah…O-ok…I'll ask her." The request seemed harmless enough.

"Thanks a million! Well, time for class! I'll see you later!"

Kahoko smiled and shook her head. Nami was a good friend, but when she let her journalist mode take over, she was a sight to behold—plowing through just about any obstacle in her way through just about any means necessary.

"Oh wait! I almost forgot!" Nami made a quick about-face.

"Huh?" She couldn't help but be nervous. Who knew what the girl had dug up recently?

Nami looked at her seriously, "It _is_ Sumire Hanazawa-san, right?"

Kahoko nodded.

"Oh yeah! I am _good_!" Nami punched a fist in the air. "Alright, I'll see you later Hino-chan."

"Bye!" As Nami ran off, Kahoko got a thoughtful look on her face. Talking to Nami had reminded her acutely of the previous night's events. She mulled everything over in her mind while walking distractedly toward her classroom. In her distraction, she didn't see a figure coming up on her right until they bumped into each other. "Oh! Sorry!" She snapped her head over to see whom she had bumped into.

"Sorry!" Kazuki yelped. "Ah! Kaho-chan!" Kazuki's face lit up, "I haven't seen you since the meeting! How've you been?"

"I've been well, Hihara-senpai. How have you been? Has practicing with Kashino-kun been working out well?"

"I'm doing great! Practicing with Kashino has been going alright. Thankfully he's less uptight than Tsukimori, so we've been having fun." He smiled down at her. "It's nice that these pieces are really easy. Oh! That's right. I guess Ousaki-senpai is helping us out with the exhibition; and he suggested that we perform our _Gavotte_ duet to help attract people to the clinic."

"That would be fun. Since we'll be playing _Gavotte_ in my class, it would be good advertising for me too." Kahoko laughed.

_Playing with Hihara-senpai will be fun._

_**Kaho-chan looks so cute when she smiles. Oh! I never did get a chance to thank her for the other day.**_

"Hey, Kaho-chan"

"Yes?"

"I'm really grateful to you and your family for the other day," he replied fervently. "The lunch your mother packed for me was delicious! I can see why you're such a good cook."

Kahoko blushed, "I'm really not that good of a cook. You just happened to be there on the right day. Sometimes I'm a terrible klutz in the kitchen."

"Well," he replied cheerfully, "Klutz or not, I still think your cooking was delicious." Suddenly remembering himself, he added, "Oh! I have a thank you gift for your family. Would it be alright with you if I walk you home so I can give it to them?"

"Oh! Umm…sure! You really didn't have to get anything though." Kahoko looked a bit embarrassed.

"How could I not? It's the least I can do to show my gratitude."

"Well, if you insist…"

Kazuki nodded and smiled. "I do. I'll stop by your classroom and we'll go back from there. It's been a lot colder recently, so I don't want to make you wait by the gate."

"Umm, ok. Thank you, Hihara-senpai."

"See you later Kaho-chan!"

"Bye!"

_He really is sweet and thoughtful…Ack! No more thinking along that vein. Now that you understand that you're just getting embarrassed and that it's nothing deeper than that, you need to keep a better reign on your thoughts._

Nodding resolutely, she went to class.

- (-_-) -

Since she would be heading straight home with Kazuki, Kahoko decided to practice during lunch. Sending her apologies with Mio and Nao, she raced to the practice rooms. Fortunately, the first practice room she came across was free. After settling in, she warmed up and decided to practice her _Canon in D_ and work through a few sections that had been giving her trouble.

When she had played it satisfactorily, she pulled _Gavotte_ _in D_ out of her bag. As she looked at it, she thought of Sumire. _I wonder how Sumire-chan is doing…_ She laid the score sheets out absent-mindedly. _Last night was so bizarre in some ways. Who would have thought that Yunoki-senpai played piano before taking up flute? I guess I have a better understanding of him now._ She smiled a little bit. _Good luck Sumire-chan! I'm cheering for you._ She started playing. The music was light and fun.

_I'm glad that I'll be teaching this song. This is probably the most apt song for me to teach children. After all, thanks to Hihara-senpai and this song, I learned to enjoy music. Music became fun. It's such a lovely tune. Hihara-senpai really saved me back then._

She smiled remembering how they had played together for the first time. Then, unbidden, the image of Kazuki's sleeping face and the softness of his hair arose in her mind. Her violin screeched to a halt.

_Why? Why did that memory come up? I-I don't like him that way. That's what we figured out the other day, right? So-so why did I think of that? My face feels so hot…and why are my hands trembling? It's true that Hihara-senpai is someone that comes to mind when I play _Gavotte_, but this is ridiculous! I-I just need to power through this, like Tsukimori-kun does. He doesn't let silly things like this get in the way of playing, and I need to learn not to either. Good, my nerves are starting to calm down. Take a deep breath, Kahoko. Now let's try again._

While the following renditions showed much progress in the technical realm, in actively trying to avoid thoughts of Kazuki, she lost her fun, carefree tone. Finally putting down her violin, she packed up and headed to class, feeling a bit frustrated with herself.

_My technique has gotten better, but my tone was lacking._

"Kaho-chan!" Mio waved, breaking Kahoko out of her brooding. "We missed you during lunch today."

"Were you able to practice a lot?" Nao inquired.

"Yup"

"Good."

"Hey, Kaho-chan, is something wrong?"

Kahoko froze for a second. Was she that obvious? "H-huh? Why do you ask, Mio?"

"You just looked slightly troubled."

"Oh, it's nothing." She laughed a little self consciously. "I'm just a bit hungry still, I guess. I practiced too long and didn't get to eat much."

"You should take better care of yourself," Nao scolded.

"I know. I know…"

After class was over, the three friends chatted a bit while packing up.

"Kaho-cha~n!" Kazuki called. Walking over to her desk, he greeted Mio and Nao and then turned to her. "Are you ready to go?"

Blushing a bit, Kahoko nodded and stood up. Mio and Nao shot her curious glances which she tried, a tad unsuccessfully, to ignore. Saying good bye to her friends, she and Kazuki left the room.

"Hey, Nao, do you think…?" Mio murmured thoughtfully as she looked at the door.

"Think what?"

"That guy that Kaho-chan was all confused about before, do you think it could have been Hihara-senpai?"

Looking at their retreating backs from the window, Nao noticed how Kahoko seemed slightly less at ease than she usually was with their senpai. "It's possible," she murmured softly.

"Yay! Maybe the Violin Romance will come true!" She clapped in delight.

"Uh…Mio, wouldn't she have to date Tsukimori-kun for that to work?"

"Not really, as long as one of the people who falls in love is a violinist," Mio explained as she joined Nao over by the window. "The first romance was between two violins, but I'm sure that if Kaho-chan and Hihara-senpai want to be together, legend will forgive them for not both playing the violin."

The two friends watched as the couple walked out of sight.

* * *

**Yay! Kazuki returns! I missed him! He's so cute. (^_^)**

**Since the readers of my Shouko x Keiichi fic, "The 7****th**** Day of the 7****th**** Month," seemed to like my little Japanese culture notes, I guess I'll put in some here too.**

**For my story, I'm planning on making Kahoko a pretty decent cook, but in Japanese culture, if anyone praises you, you're supposed to immediately deny it. That's why she's always saying that she's not good at cooking and getting embarrassed whenever anyone praises her. If someone praises something you do, you usually say, "Iie, nigate desu." (ee-eh, knee-gah-teh deh-s) The funny thing is that if someone is praising your Japanese speaking skills and you say that, they'll usually chuckle and repeat themselves because you knew enough to respond properly. (^_^)**

**Sorry that it's kind of a lame culture note. It was easier in the other one because Japanese culture was such an integral part of the story.**

**In the next chapter we'll be seeing more of our favorite trumpeter and violinist. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter!**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**


	11. The Joy of Music

**Good morning! Thank you so much for reading up to this point! As always, a special thanks to my reviewers! I'm always excited to see that someone has taken the time to review my stories.**

**hiharafan1****: Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm glad you like this fic so far; and I hope you'll like this new chapter too. I tried to make it cute and sweet. We'll see if I succeeded. (^_^)**

**kazuki****: Thank you for reviewing! I'm so flattered by how consistent you are: always making sure to review! I hope you like this chapter. (^_^) And thank you for pointing out that I accidentally re-uploaded the last chapter. I think I just uploaded the last one, not realizing that it was chapter 9, not 10.  
**

* * *

"Hey, Kaho-chan, what's wrong?" Kazuki looked at his red-headed companion in concern.

"What do you mean, Hihara-senpai?" Kahoko looked up at her friend.

"Something is bugging you. What is it? Did something bad happen at school? Are you having trouble practicing?"

*sigh* _Bingo._

"Well…" she paused momentarily to gather her thoughts. "For some reason, I was having trouble playing _Gavotte_ when I was practicing during lunch. I could tell that my technique was getting a lot better, but it wasn't happy anymore. The song didn't have the life it normally does." She looked frustrated with herself.

Kazuki grinned, relieved that it wasn't something more serious. "Well, that's simple enough. You weren't enjoying yourself." Teasingly he said, "Don't tell me that I need to remind of you that again." He shot her a winsome smile.

Kahoko felt a blush start to creep up her cheeks, and quickly started talking to distract herself. "I guess I _may_ have been concentrating too much." She looked away from him, suddenly finding the wall fascinating.

He looked at her thoughtfully. _**I wish there was some way to cheer her up. I'm sure if she just had a chance to have fun while playing that song, it would fix all her problems. What would be the best way to do that?**_ Looking away from her turned head, Kazuki spotted a nearby bench and got an idea. Smiling, he stopped at the bench and unpacked his trumpet. Kahoko paused, mid-stride, and looked at him in surprise.

"Hihara-senpai?"

Kazuki smiled, lifted his trumpet to his lips, and began to play Gossec's _Gavotte in D_ (youtube...com/watch?v=_tnojpsd8P8).

For a bit, Kahoko stood rooted to the spot, listening as the joyful sound washed over her. As a crowd started to gather, she saw him smile invitingly at her. Kahoko smiled back, took out her violin, and joined him. The music swelled as the violin and trumpet harmonized together.

_Playing with Hihara-senpai is always so calming. I can just let myself go and enjoy the music. And since I smoothed out some of the harder sections earlier, it sounds even better. This kind of performance is exactly what I want for the clinic. Thank you for helping me to enjoy this song again, Hihara-senpai._

_**Good, she seems to be having fun again. It's important to concentrate on working out technical things, but not to the extent that you forget to enjoy the music. I'm glad her smile has finally come back. I love Kaho-chan's smile; it lights up her whole face, making her even more radiant than she already is.**_

The song came to a close and the crowd clapped. After thanking their audience, the two packed up their instruments and continued on their way.

"You seemed to be alright playing that time." Kazuki smiled broadly at her.

"Yes! It was so much fun!" Kahoko grinned back at him. "Playing with you is always enjoyable, Hihara-senpai." She looked back toward the street and announced, "Well, here we are."

They walked into the house simultaneously calling out, "I'm home!" and "Excuse me for intruding!"

"Welcome home!" her mother called out. "I'm in the kitchen Kahoko. Is that Hihara-san with you?"

"Yes it is. I'm sorry for barging in like this uninvited…"

"Oh, it's no problem at all." Kahoko's mother beamed as she came out to greet the pair. "It's nice to see you again. Did you come to work on homework or something?"

"He wanted to drop something off, mom."

"It's right here." Taking a box out of his bag, he offered it to Kahoko's mother and bowed. "Thank you so much for all you did for me the last time I was here. I am indebted to you all."

Graciously taking the parcel, Kahoko's mother bowed and replied, "You were no trouble at all, Hihara-san. Actually, it was nice to have another man around the house. Kahoko's older brother is away at school, and we almost never see him. It was almost like he was home again."

"Ah, I see. It must be hard to have him so far away," Kazuki replied sympathetically. "I know all of us would really miss my older brother if he had gone away to college."

"You have an older brother in college Hihara-san?"

"Yes, he's a third year at the college across town."

"Is he majoring in music like you?"

"Haruki? He has no interest in playing music," he laughed. Cheerfully, he continued, "He really loves sports though, especially basketball. He's studying to be a sports commentator." He grinned. "You wouldn't think that it would be hard work, but you have to understand all sorts of rules and plays, in addition to understanding sports statistics and stuff."

"Really Hihara-senpai? I would have thought your brother would rather play than commentate. He was really good when I saw you guys playing at the park."

"Well, ideally, he would be a pro basketball player, but he's not talented enough. This way, he can still play basketball as a hobby and stay close to the world of sports," he explained.

Kahoko and her mother nodded thoughtfully.

Since the conversation had lulled, Kazuki decided that he should take his leave. Looking slightly reluctant, he said, "Well, I guess I'd best get going." He smiled and lifted his hand up to wave good bye. "I'll see you in school tomorrow, Kaho-chan." He turned to open the door.

"Umm! Wait, Hihara-senpai!"

_What am I doing?_

Kahoko looked surprised as the words continued to tumble out of her mouth. "Since you're here already, I was wondering if you could help me with some of my music theory homework. I've got a violin lesson coming up, and I don't quite understand it all…"

_Why did I say that? This week's theory homework isn't that hard. It's true that having someone check all of my work and review some other things would be nice, but why…?_

"Oh! Sure, Kaho-chan! I'd be happy to help you!" Kazuki grinned from ear to ear. "I have some theory homework too. If you'd like, I can show you what we're studying so you can get an idea of what you'd be doing if you were to continue pursuing music."

"That-that sounds great, Hihara-senpai," she replied, her voice a tad unsteady since she hadn't quite recovered from her surprising outburst.

Kahoko's mother smiled knowingly at the pair before suggesting, "Why don't you two get to work while I fix you a snack?" She smiled at Kazuki and added, "Ask your parents if you can stay for dinner, Hihara-san." With a mischievous glint in her eye, she joked, "Depending on how my husband's work day was, we may need you to try some music therapy on him."

As much as Kazuki wanted to accept her generous proposal, he didn't want to intrude too much. "Are you sure? I don't want to be any trouble."

"If you can make my dad recover from being grumpy after a hard day at work, Hihara-senpai, then you'd be doing us a _favor_!" Kahoko laughed.

He grinned, finally convinced that it was alright to stay. "Alright, but for our first song we should play _Gavotte_ together. It's not fair to put me on the spot like that."

"Deal." Glancing back at her mother as she headed toward the stairs, Kahoko called out, "We'll be upstairs studying mom."

Giving Kahoko's mother a quick bow, Kazuki followed Kahoko up the stairs, but stopped short just outside of her room. Oblivious to her senpai's discomfort, Kahoko breezed into the room and began unpacking her schoolbag. When she turned to ask him something, she was surprised to see him standing awkwardly in the hallway.

"Hihara-senpai, why are you over there?" she asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"Uh…well…I…uh…I…I wasn't sure if…I should come in…" he blushed and embarrassedly averted his eyes. He stared at a poster on her wall as if the meaning of life was etched on it.

"Why?" She cocked her head to the side in confusion.

Kazuki turned even redder. He spouted random, nervous nonsense while gesturing wildly with his hands for a while as Kahoko looked increasingly confused. He finally managed to spit out very rapidly, "A guy isn't supposed to enter a girl's bedroom!" He slapped his hands over his mouth and cringed. Why was he so bad at dealing with girls?

Kahoko blinked a couple of times before hesitantly asking, "Umm…Hihara-senpai…could you repeat that last bit please? I didn't catch it."

He closed his eyes and steeled himself for another round of embarrassment when a savior appeared.

"Kahoko, I brought some snacks for you and Hihara-san." Kahoko's mother peered around Kazuki's tall frame and held up a tray of treats. "Would you like them here, or would you rather eat them downstairs?"

"Up here is fine, Mom." Kahoko smiled and walked over to take the tray from her mother.

After the tray had transferred hands, Kahoko's mother smiled at the two and said, "Have fun studying; I'll be downstairs if you need anything." She went back to the kitchen, leaving the two alone again.

Kahoko smiled up at Kazuki and invited, "Would you like to come in, Hihara-senpai? We should probably get started on our homework soon."

"A-are you sure it's ok?" His cheeks flushed pink.

She smiled and nodded. "I can't finish all these snacks by myself after all." At that, they both laughed, breaking the awkwardness between them.

Grinning at her, he bowed and stated mock-formally, "Excuse me for intruding."

Giggling, she bowed back, and motioned for him to enter.

Taking the tray from her, he followed her to the study table and set down the food. They ate the snacks first, chatting and laughing the whole while. The rest of the afternoon passed by quickly as they talked and joked while working on their homework. It was surprisingly relaxing and they got a lot done. When Kahoko's father and sister got home, they both went downstairs to greet them.

"Welcome home!" Kahoko called from the stairs.

"Please excuse me for intruding." Kazuki bowed slightly when they came into view.

"Hihara-kun! It's nice to see you again!" Noriko smiled. "Were you two studying?"

"Yes, we were. It's nice to see you again too, Noriko-san, Hino-sensei."

Kahoko's father gave him a wry smile. "I'm going to apologize in advance, Hihara-san. I had an awful day at work, so I'm probably not going to be in the best of moods."

"Well, then, we've got a surprise for you, Dear. You're going to be Hihara-san's first patient."

"What?"

Noriko giggled, "Let me guess mom, you and Kaho agreed to swap Hihara-kun's music therapy for food?"

Smirking, her mother replied, "Something along those lines."

"Humph…" Kahoko's father grumbled.

"Now, now, why don't you go wash up for dinner and relax in the living room. We'll have a little pre-dinner show."

Kahoko and Kazuki went to get their instruments.

"Kaho-chan, suddenly I feel really nervous…" He fiddled with his trumpet.

Kahoko assured him, "You'll be great, Hihara-senpai." She laughed. "And besides, we're doing this first number together, so he'll be sure to like it."

Seeing her smile gave him strength. He stood up a little straighter and began to anticipate the performance. "Yeah, you're right. Now let's get 'em," he cheered.

The two took their positions as Noriko and her father sat down. Their mother stood by the kitchen door so she could keep an eye on the food. Kahoko and Kazuki began with _Gavotte_, their melody dancing around the room (youtube…com/watch?v=W5a7AH5eg8o). Despite himself, Kahoko's father started to smile and relax. Noriko sat, smiling with her eyes closed while her mother smiled from the kitchen. When they finished, everyone clapped and beamed at them.

"Now presenting Kazuki Hihara on the trumpet; he will be playing 'Under the Double Eagle March' by Wagner," Kahoko announced, mimicking the announcer at the concours.

Everyone laughed, and Kazuki put the trumpet to his lips and played (youtube…com/watch?v=tHav9WkIrgQ). After completing that song, he went through the other songs he had played in the concours. He was met with thunderous applause after every one.

When everyone stopped clapping, he held out his hand to Kahoko. "Shall we take a bow, Kaho-chan?"

Blushing slightly, she took his hand, stood up, and they walked over and took a bow. He finally let go of her hand when he went to put his instrument away, not noticing how red her face had gotten.

_H-he held my hand… My heart's beating so fast! Now cut it out, Kahoko, you're being ridiculous. Calm yourself. Breathe in; breathe out…_

With a knowing grin, Noriko watched her sister wrestle with her thoughts. Sliding up beside her, she murmured in a low, nonchalant voice, "Hihara-kun is pretty cute, don't you think? And he's so nice too…"

*BLUSH!* "D-don't make fun of me… It's not like that…" Then, in an attempt to divert the conversation away from her flustered self, she countered, "I didn't know you were into younger men, Sis. Would you like me to try and set you up?" She was surprised at the slight pang in her heart that was caused by those words.

"Oh no you don't, baby sister. There's no way you're turning the conversation around on me. Besides," she confided, "I've got someone at work that I have my eye on. But don't tell mom and dad, because nothing's happened yet."

"Oh, really?" Kahoko inquired, curiously.

Noriko nodded. Deciding to cut her sister some slack, she changed the subject. "Let's get some food! It smells great!"

Laughing, Kahoko agreed and they raced to the table. The rest of the evening was filled with animated conversation and laughter. Kazuki stayed another hour after dinner so they could finish up their homework. Then he went on his way, thanking everyone for the wonderful evening. That night, they both drifted off to sleep smiling, remembering the fun time they had.

* * *

**And that's chapter 10! How was it?**

**Considering that Kiniro no Corda is supposed to revolve around music, I thought it would be good for Kazuki and Kahoko to have some sort of musical encounter this time around. For those of you who've been listening to the music, I'm sorry that you've had to listen to the same song so many times. I tried to make it a little more interesting by having different versions of the song. But whenever Kahoko and Kazuki play together, it's always **_**Gavotte**_**, so there was only so much that I could do… I'll look up some other violin and trumpet duets for the future.**

**Family, particularly the siblings, will be playing a fairly prominent role in this story, so I wanted Kazuki to start spending more time with Kahoko's family. And from that desire, the impromptu concert and study date arose. I'm sorry for not detailing the studying part of things very much, but I really just wanted to highlight how comfortable and natural they are together. If Kahoko was never allowed to simply enjoy Kazuki's company in this tale, then what she said about only being in embarrassing situations with Kazuki would become true!**

**Some of you may have noticed that Noriko started referring to Kazuki as, "Hihara-kun," and that Kazuki called Kahoko's dad, "Hino-sensei." Those aren't mistakes. I'm just 1) showing a progression of familiarity and 2) making it easier to keep the Hino family straight. **

**After this chapter occurs, Kahoko's dad will start calling him, "Hihara-kun," too because a line of familiarity was crossed when his spirits were lifted by Kazuki's music. I'm not sure if I'll ever have Kahoko's mother call him, "Hihara-kun," in this story. Kahoko's reluctance to change the way she refers to someone has to come from somewhere. (^_^)**

**I admit that I went back and edited the chapter where Kazuki meets Kahoko's mom a bit to imply that Kahoko's dad is a lawyer solely for the purpose of being able to call her dad "Hino-sensei." So now "Hino-san" = Kahoko's mom and "Hino-sensei" = Kahoko's dad. In Japan, "-sensei" is attached to the names of lawyers, teachers/professors (of any subject), doctors/dentists, and pastors.**

**There is an otome game called Re: Alistair++ which inspired the scene where Kazuki gets all embarrassed about going in Kahoko's bedroom. I originally didn't have that part, but after playing that game a little bit, I realized that Kazuki is probably not the kind of person who would just nonchalantly go into the room of the girl he likes.**

**In the next chapter some tears will be shed. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter!**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**


	12. A Tearful Beginning

**Good evening! Thank you so much for reading this story! And many, many thanks to my reviewers!**

**kazuki****: Thank you for reviewing! And now I will answer your question. When I said that it was chapter 9, I was partially a mistaken. It was supposed to be chapter 10. I fixed that after you wrote to me, so thank you. (^_^) In most actual published novels, they don't count things like prologues and character profiles as actual chapters, so I didn't either. That's why I called it chapter 10 even though there were technically 12 chapters in the story. I hope that makes sense. (^_^)**

Kahoko went to school the next day in a good mood, smiling as she walked along. Suddenly her phone rang; she looked and saw that she had a call from Sumire.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Kaho-chan? This is Sumire. I was wondering if you were free to practice either today or tomorrow. A couple of my tests got postponed, so I'll have a little bit of time this week."

"Ah, ok. I'm free any day this week, so just let me know when."

"In that case, how about tomorrow, right after school? Oh, and Yunoki-san is coming over for dinner that night. I'm planning to confront him. Wish me luck."

"I hope things will go well and that your feelings will reach him."

"Thank you. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!"

"Bye! Oh! Wait, I almost forgot!"

"What is it, Kaho-chan?"

"Could you do me a favor? My friend is in the Journalism Club, and I'll never hear the end of it if you don't give her an interview. She wants to write a piece about 'Yunoki-senpai's mysterious fiancée'."

Good naturedly, Sumire agreed and suggested that they hold the interview before practicing. Thanking her profusely, they hung up, and Kahoko resumed walking to school.

"Hey! Kaho!"

"Nao! Mio! Good morning!" Kahoko beamed brightly at her two friends.

"You're sure in a good mood today, Kaho-chan. Did something good happen?"

"Am I? I guess I am feeling pretty up-beat today," she laughed. "I had a good time last night with my family and Hihara-senpai. I even had fun doing my homework, if you can believe that! He taught me a little bit of higher-level music theory. It was really cool. I have a new respect for the composers of the pieces I play. There's just so much to take into account when writing a song! Oh, and you'll never believe it; Hihara-senpai actually cured my dad of his after-work grumpiness!"

"What? Wow! That's amazing!" Mio exclaimed. "Your dad is always so scary when he's in one of those moods. How did he do it?"

"Music therapy"

"Music therapy?" Nao looked at her with a blank expression.

"Basically, he played his trumpet for my dad and the music boosted his spirits."

"Ah" Nao nodded.

"I haven't seen my dad look that relaxed in a long time. I'm glad Hihara-senpai agreed to stay." Kahoko smiled.

Mio and Nao looked at each other before nodding almost imperceptibly. Now would be the perfect time to ask Kahoko about her feelings for Kazuki. Although from the way that she was happily talking on about him, their suspicions seemed correct. But Mio had barely managed to say, "Hey, Kaho-chan," before they heard the school's warning bell sound. If they didn't run, they'd all be late! The girls dashed madly for the school gates. Although they were dying to ask Kahoko about her feelings toward Kazuki, they would need to bide their time for a little bit longer.

Classes went by uneventfully, and the three girls met up with the other girls for lunch.

"So, Hino-chan, did you get me that interview?" Nami asked with glittering eyes.

*sigh* "Yes, yes, you'll be interviewing her tomorrow right after school before we practice for the clinic."

"Yes!" She cheered, punching a fist in the air. "Thank you~!"

Turning to Manami, Kahoko asked, "How are your preparations with Tsuchiura-kun going for the clinic?"

"What? You're working with Tsuchiura-kun, Mori-san? What good luck!" Mio exclaimed.

Blushing a little, Manami answered, "It's been going well. Mostly we've been pretending to teach each other how to play the song, since that's what we'll be doing for the clinic." Looking happy, she added, "By the time we're done practicing, it's late, so we get dinner afterward too. I think we're getting closer bit by bit."

"That's great Mori-san!" Winking at her, Nao joked, "Maybe after this Mio can prattle on about 'The _Piano_ Romance.'"

Everyone laughed as Manami blushed.

When the bell rang the girls scattered. As Kahoko, Mio, Nao, and Nami were walking back toward the General Studies wing, Kahoko noticed Megumi sitting by herself, looking pensive. She went over to the girl and questioned, "Shouji-san?"

Snapping up her head to look at her senpai, Megumi replied, "Hino-senpai? What are you doing here?"

Kahoko smiled, "I think I should be the one asking you that, Shouji-san. Lunch is over; shouldn't you be getting back to class?"

"Oh! It is? I didn't notice. Thank you, Hino-senpai," she gave a quick bow and hurried away.

_I wonder what she was thinking about. Oh well, back to class…_

- ( ; _ ; ) -

After school, Kahoko headed to the practice rooms. As she opened the door to the corridor, she almost ran into a tearful Megumi.

"Shouji-san?"

The girl looked at her, covered her face with her hands and ran away, crying. Concerned, Kahoko ran after her, looking high and low for the girl, but she had lost her. In a dampened manner, she walked back to the practice rooms in time to almost bump into Len.

"Tsukimori-kun?"

"Hino."

"Were you practicing with Shouji-san right now? She just ran out a little bit ago."

Sighing in frustration he acknowledged, "Yes, we were just practicing. She left to go to the restroom, but it's been almost 15 minutes now, so I'm going to look for her. Perhaps you could join me as I can't enter the girls' restroom."

"Umm…sure, Tsukimori-kun."

They walked along in silence for a bit before Kahoko asked, "So how is practice going for the exhibition?"

"I've been practicing my solo piece, but we haven't been able to progress as much as I'd like on the clinic piece."

"But I thought they were all supposed to be easy pieces."

"They are. It's easy to perform the piece; the problem is in teaching it. For practice, I borrowed an extra violin from the school, and I've been teaching Shouji-san how to play the song on the violin. Unfortunately, she seems to be having a lot of trouble with it."

"I wonder if that was why she was crying," Kahoko mumbled softly to herself.

"Crying?"

_Oops! I didn't think he'd hear me!_

"Yeah…She was crying as she ran out the door."

_**Have I been so harsh with her that she'd cry? Ugh…I feel bad for her, but I really don't need a distressed female on my hands, not with the exhibition and my parents' charity concert close at hand.**_

"I'll check inside, Tsukimori-kun. I'll bring her out so you two can talk, so wait here." Kahoko entered the bathroom after Len gave a curt nod. Kahoko crept in quietly to see if she could hear anything. As she snuck closer to one stall, she could hear someone quietly weeping.

"Shouji-san?"

The sound suddenly stopped.

"Shouji-san?" Kahoko coaxed, "Please come out, Shouji-san. What's bothering you? Why are you crying?"

"Hino-senpai? Is that you? Please don't worry about me. I'm fine. Please go back to practicing. I'll be out soon."

"You shouldn't lie, Shouji-san. Besides, if I leave you here, what am I going to tell Tsukimori-kun? I can't just leave him waiting outside."

In a small voice, Megumi asked hesitantly, "Tsu-Tsukimori-senpai is waiting outside…for me?"

"Yes, he is."

"Hino-senpai," she sobbed, "I-I can't face him…I-I thought I was so lucky to be p-p-paired up with him for this clinic at first, b-but now I think I'm the most miserable girl alive. I-I'm not g-g-good at playing violin at a-a-all, and e-even though I practice secretly, I j-j-just can't improve! I know I-I'm frustrating h-h-him and causing him tr-trouble. He's not as d-d-disdainful as he used to be, b-but sometimes his c-criticisms really hurt. I'm trying so hard, s-so why can't I play at all?" Megumi cried a fresh wave of tears.

"Stop crying. If you're truly working hard, then you have nothing to be ashamed of." Len's voice cut in.

Both Kahoko and Megumi started. Neither of them had realized that he had come in. Len blushed a little under Kahoko's gaze.

_**I know this is a girls' bathroom, but they were taking too long. We need to get back to practicing. Besides, everyone else has left by now…I hope.**_

"Tsu-Tsukimori-senpai!" Megumi answered, shocked.

"If that's what's been bothering you, then you should tell me. If both the accompanist and soloist are not in sync, the quality of the performance greatly suffers." Len took a deep breath. "I'm grateful that you're practicing violin even outside of our sessions together since it's not your main instrument. I will try to keep that in mind and be more patient with you in the future." Then in a softer tone he asked, "May we go back to practicing?"

There was a pause and then a click as Megumi slowly opened the stall door. Her eyes were lowered at first, but when she raised them, Kahoko could see Len stiffen slightly.

_**I'll need to be more sensitive in the future. I never used to care much about whether I said unkind things, but making girls cry is unacceptable. Although, the tears make her eyes glimmer like glass…**_ He frowned briefly before dismissing the strange thought. _**We should get back to practice.**_

"Are you ready to go back, Shouji-san?" Len asked quietly.

Megumi nodded meekly and followed him out of the restroom, giving Kahoko a grateful nod.

_I'm glad that turned out alright. Tsukimori-kun really can be nice if he tries. I hope things work out for her. After all, she's working hard to win his approval._

On her way home from practicing, she could see Megumi and Len still hard at work. Len had a slightly warmer air about him, and Megumi seemed to be improving a bit more quickly under his new instruction. Smiling, satisfied that things would be alright, Kahoko headed home.

**And so we end the chapter.**

**I'm sorry Kazuki didn't appear in this chapter, but since Kahoko was talking about him at the beginning of the chapter, he was there in spirit. I think one of the first telltale signs that a girl might like a certain person is when she just gabs on and on about that person and has fun doing so. Since this usually happens without the talker realizing that she's talking people's ears off, I thought it would be a good and cute way for her to innocently start sliding back toward that place she was back in chapter 3 (the preliminaries and prologue don't count as real chapters in my mind).**

**I'm sorry if Len is a bit out of character. I've never written him before, with the exception of maybe 2 lines in my Shouko x Keiichi story. In the anime, he had made Megumi cry during the first selection and didn't seem to care, but since she's showing that she's truly serious about music and he's been softened by being in love, I'm hoping that it's not too far-fetched for him to feel bad about making girls cry in general. *sigh* They are going to be an extremely difficult couple to write. Wish me luck!**

**If I continue to follow the outline that I've made, then we've got some time before this is a real issue, but I was wondering how you would like the Christmas Eve concert organized. I can either a) give each person their own chapter and post them as I finish, or b) have them all in the same chapter, but give them their own sections. What would you prefer?**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**


	13. Cornered!

**Good afternoon! Thank you so much for reading this story! And many, many more thanks to my reviewers!**

**There are no anonymous reviews to respond to today, so on with the story!**

* * *

The next afternoon, Kahoko sat with Nami and Sumire for Sumire's interview.

"Thanks for doing this interview for me. Yunoki-senpai's a pretty popular guy, so I'm sure this article will garner _a lot_ of interest, if you know what I mean."

Laughing and nodding, Sumire responded, "Yes, yes, I do."

"Now let's get to it, shall we?"

As the two of them talked, Kahoko noticed Mio and Nao nearby. Deciding that it wouldn't be a problem for her to leave the interview as long as she stayed nearby, she walked over to the two girls.

"Mio! Nao! What're you still doing here? I would have thought you'd be gone by now."

"Hi Kaho-chan! We were just deciding where to go from here." Mio smiled. "There are a couple new cake shops that we wanted to try, but we're having trouble deciding."

"Ah, which shops?"

"There's a new café that specializes in French desserts, and there's a tea garden that specializes in tea and supposedly serves good German desserts. I hear their baumkuchen is divine."

"Ooh! That sounds good! Do you mind waiting on the tea garden so I can go with you guys too?"

Mio shook her head. "No problem! It'll be nice to go get cake together again."

Nao looked at Mio for a second thoughtfully, and then turned to Kahoko. "Hey, Kaho, are you busy right now?"

"Amou-san is interviewing Sumire-chan right now, so I'll be free for a bit. What's up?"

"You know how you were talking about a guy the other day?"

"A guy?"

"Yeah, one that you weren't sure if you liked."

"Oh…_that_ guy…" She had a bad feeling about the direction of this conversation. "What about him?"

"Well…Kaho-chan, by any chance, were you talking about Hihara-senpai?" Mio asked.

"Eh? Hi-Hihara-senpai? Wh-why?" she blurted out with a beet-red face.

"So it was him, wasn't it?" Nao prodded.

"D-don't be silly Nao, Hihara-senpai and I are just friends. Why are you digging this up anyway? It's old news, right? We already determined that I don't like him."

"_We_ as a group may have determined it based on the limited information we were given Kaho, but have you?"

"Huh?"

"Kaho-chan," Mio added, "What Fuyuumi-chan said is true. If the only reason you're starting to think of him romantically is because you get into embarrassing situations with him, then it's probably not love, but if you find yourself thinking of him romantically without even a memory of those happenings, then there's a much higher possibility that you have feelings for him."

"I-I…"

"_Do I have feelings for Hihara-senpai? I guess I'm back to where I was that night…_"

"What night, Kaho?"

"Huh? I said that aloud?"

"Yeah, you did. Now spill."

Kahoko was trapped. Her two friends had cornered her with determined looks in their eyes.

"Hino-chan? We're done! Where are you?" Nami called from around the corner.

_Saved!_

"O-over here Amou-san!"

Mio and Nao looked over at Nami and Sumire as they walked up.

"Is something wrong?" Nami furrowed her brow quizzically.

"Not exactly…see you tomorrow." The two girls turned to leave, making Kahoko sigh in relief. Nami watched their backs intently, as if by staring at them she would be able to divine what had occurred.

"Well, Kaho-chan, shall we go practice?" Sumire tried to distract her disquieted friend.

"Yes, Sumire-chan, let's."

* * *

**I'm sorry it's a bit of a short, somewhat uneventful chapter this time. I'll try to upload the next chapter more quickly to make up for it.**

**For those of you who don't know, baumkuchen is a German cake that looks kind of like the cross section of a tree. Since the cake looks similar to the rings of a tree, the translation of its name, tree cake, makes a lot of sense. Baumkuchen is the most popular German sweet in Japan. And apparently it's a popular wedding gift because of its ring shape.**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**


	14. Snow Snow Snow Snow Snow!

**Good afternoon! Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate it; and a happy Thursday to those of you who don't. Thanks all around to my readers, and especially to my reviewers!**

* * *

_Oh, I'm tired. That was a good practice though. I'm amazed that Sumire-chan was able to focus as well as she did; if I was going to be confronting Yunoki-senpai in a few hours, I'd be a nervous wreck! Well, it won't be too long until I'm home. Maybe I'll cut through the park. I'm kind of thirsty, and there's a drinking fountain that's on the way home..._

"Hino," a voice cut through the air.

"Huh? Oh! Tsukimori-kun!" Kahoko turned to smile at the blue-haired violinist who was rising from a nearby park bench.

He nodded at her. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to stop by the drinking fountain on my way home. How about you?"

"For some reason, I just wanted to sit here for a bit and feel the wind."

"It is a nice day, isn't it? The park is beautiful in the winter. Everyone looks like they're having fun in the snow."

"Yes, I guess it is nice." The lamp next to the bench flickered on. "It's getting dark. I'll walk you home."

"Oh, umm…you don't have to…"

"It will be no trouble."

"In that case, thank you."

After Kahoko got her water, the two walked past a group of children putting the finishing touches on a snowman, their parents chatting nearby.

"Look, Tsukimori-kun! Isn't that the cutest snowman? I can't remember the last time I made one. They're so much fun to make, aren't they?"

"I wouldn't know…I've never made one before," Len answered quietly.

"What? You've _never_ made a snowman before?"

"Well, I never really had much desire or opportunity to make them when I was younger—my parents were normally away, and I didn't have many friends."

"Oh…"

Spying a patch of snow, Kahoko grabbed Len's hand with a smile and dragged him over.

"Hino?"

"If you've never made a snowman before, why don't we make one now? The snow is perfect."

_**She's joking, right?**_

Kahoko started making a snowball.

_**I guess she's not…Well, we've both got gloves, so our fingers shouldn't suffer.**_ He flexed his fingers absently before stepping a little closer in order to see what she was doing.

"Alright, so first you make a snowball, and then you just kind of roll it on the ground. As you roll it, it'll pick up snow and get bigger and bigger. That's all there really is to it."

She demonstrated.

Len's face softened as he watched her play. _**She looks like she's enjoying herself. Her eyes are glowing as they follow the ball of snow around. She looks very childish, and yet somehow, I find myself charmed. I can't help but want to join in.**_

Len crouched down near Kahoko and started packing his own snowball. With Kahoko's instruction he slowly rolled the snowball, making it larger and larger. Soon, the ball got too large for just him to push, so Kahoko helped him push the gigantic ball of snow around. Looking up at their towering snowman base Kahoko laughed in delight. Len stole a glance at her radiant face, surprised at the thrill the girlish sound produced in his heart. Looking at her with the slightest trace of a smile, they went back to working on the head, when Len stopped and frowned at Kahoko.

"What's wrong, Tsukimori-kun?"

"Hino…how are we supposed to get the head on the snowman's body? The body is as tall as either of us…"

Her eyes widened.

_I didn't even think about that. It was so much fun to roll that snowball around with Tsukimori-kun, I didn't even think to make sure it was a manageable size! He must think I've got some sort of solution for this problem…Oh dear…_

Seeing her dismayed look, he guessed that she had no clue how to achieve the task. He couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. Kahoko stared at him.

_Did Tsukimori-kun just…laugh?_

Noticing her astonished look, he couldn't help but retort in an annoyed tone, "I _do_ laugh on occasion, Hino…"

"Ah!" Kahoko averted her eyes, blushing.

_**Now I've made her ill at ease, wonderful.**_

"So then, what should we do about the snowman?" Len asked, hoping to divert her attention.

He was successful.

"I'm not sure, Tsukimori-kun," Kahoko answered, looking at him again. "I suppose we could try scraping it down to a more manageable size, but that could take awhile because it's so big."

Len looked thoughtfully between the snowball that was to become the snowman's head and the large body. Spying more snow, he had an idea.

"What if we built something else?"

"But this was supposed to be your first snowman," she pouted.

Len shook his head. "I don't intend to stop building the snowman, I was thinking more along the lines of building a ramp so we could roll the snowball up the ramp and onto the body."

Her eyes widened in realization. "That's brilliant! You're so smart! Let's get started!" She immediately got to work, not noticing that Len's cheeks had gotten slightly pinker from the emphatic praise.

The two of them worked in relative silence, consulting once in a while about the ramp construction. When the ramp was completed, Len rolled the snowball up the ramp and deposited the snowman's head on its body. While he was walking down the ramp, Kahoko smiled brightly at him.

"Isn't it wonderful, Tsukimori-kun?" she asked with shining eyes, looking at the snowman.

"Yes," he murmured, looking tenderly at her.

_**You are wonderful…**_

Kahoko noticed his gaze, her heart stopping for a second. _Tsu-Tsukimori-kun? I feel like I have butterflies in my stomach…What's happening to me?_

Just as quickly as it had come, the tender look disappeared, replaced by his usual demeanor. "Shall we go, Hino?"

"Y-yes…let's…"

_Did I just imagine that look?_

The two walked back silently as the snow began to softly fall.

* * *

…**I just wrote Len x Kaho! Ahhh! ( x . x ) *sigh* Well, like one reviewer pointed out to me, if there's no competition whatsoever, then it gets boring, right? I wrote up this scene because I wanted to make good use of the fact that it was winter, and it seemed about time that something happened between those two. *snorts* While I can believe that Len would have never made a snowman, it seems very strange. I mean, **_**I've**_** made a snowman before and I live in a desert!**

**The ramp idea was from a book of riddles that I read a long time ago. The boys ran into the same problem that Len and Kahoko did, and their grandfather advised them to use more snow to fix the problem instead of scraping the gigantic snowball down. I thought it was clever when I read it, but for people who're skilled in the ways of snowman building, it's probably the obvious thing to do. *laughs***

**The chapter title is a line from the song, "Snow," from the 1954 movie _White Christmas_ featuring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen. In the song they talk about building a big snowman. I also just like the song. v(^_^; )**

**For the next chapter…I'm not sure what to do. What would you like to see? I guess I'll collect votes/ideas for the next week (until Dec. 2, 2010), and write based off of that. Hopefully I can actually pull off the things you suggest. (^^; )**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**


	15. An Affair of Class

**Good evening! I hope you are all doing well! I actually have an anonymous review to reply to this time! Thank you to everyone who reviews!**

**hiharafan1****: Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm afraid I couldn't figure out a cute Kazuki scene for this chapter, so I promise to have one in the next! I'll work extra hard so it'll be up soon. I'm so sorry for disappointing you!**

* * *

"Sumire-sama, Yunoki-sama has just arrived."

"Thank you, Jiro, I will be down momentarily."

The butler bowed to his young mistress, closing the door behind him. Looking at herself in the mirror, Sumire thought, "_It's now or never. I've been preparing myself for this moment ever since I dropped Kaho-chan off after dinner the other day._" Resolutely, she went to greet her fiancé.

"Good evening Sumire-san." Azuma smiled at the girl as she descended the staircase. "You look lovely."

"Thank you Yunoki-san." She let down her guard momentarily to appreciate how handsome he looked in his pristine, white suit. "Your suit fits you well. Has your family been well lately?"

Azuma blinked at her for a second in surprise. Had this spoiled little rich girl, who'd been so bratty and annoying since the day he met her, actually greeted him pleasantly? **Well, well, this is certainly a surprise. I wonder why the change in attitude. This is an interesting development.**

"They are doing well thank you. I trust your family is also well?" Azuma said aloud, his smooth words and ever-present smile belying his thoughts.

Throughout dinner, the two chatted cordially, but the lovely girl's unusual behavior was throwing him slightly off-balance. Personality changes he didn't mind, but 180 degree turnarounds made him suspicious, unless, of course, he was the cause of such a turnaround.

**Something's different about her today; I can't quite put my finger on it. Normally when we talk, it's like she's trying to run me through with a sword, but today,** he ever so slightly narrowed his eyes at her over his glass, **something's different. It's not only that she's being cordial; it's that she's doing it of her own accord. No one is here besides the servants, and they've never stopped her from being nasty in the past. She's up to something.** He frowned slightly as he lowered his head to taste some chicken. **For once, I'm starting to feel like I'm part of a little game of hers instead of the other way around.** He smirked behind his napkin when he went to dab his mouth. **Well, we'll see who the victor of this game will be by the end of the night, Hanazawa-san.**

Little did he know that she actually intended to end his little game that very night.

When they had retired to the parlor room alone, Azuma saw her lock the door behind them.

"Sumire-san, should you be doing that? I know we're engaged, but people will talk…" his voice trailed off when she turned to look at him. Her eyes shone with determination; the sweet, demure act forgotten. Azuma watched her quietly and carefully, adjusting to the new development.

**She's preparing to show her hand a bit. Well, that's fine. Although I wasn't aware that Hanazawa-san was one for playing games. She always seemed like rather straight-forward minx.**

"Yunoki-san, your game is up."

"I beg your pardon, Sumire-san?" he asked, perfect mask in place.

"I know that you're not as you seem. You're a good son to your family. A far better one than they deserve," she whispered. "But to be a good son, you've sacrificed so much of yourself already. How much more are you planning to give up, Yunoki-san? You've allowed yourself to be reduced to a pawn."

Azuma smiled at her with his normal placid expression. He knew all this but, everything that she said so far was hypothetical at best; she couldn't prove that she was right. He had never let his mask slip in front of her or her family; of that he was sure.

"You won't even go for the girl you love. You're so spineless. Even though you love Kaho-chan enough to show her your true self, here you are engaged to me, and to top it all off, you haven't done a single thing to stop this marriage."

At this accusation, Azuma's eyes first widened almost imperceptibly, and then narrowed slightly.

**Well, well, well, so she figured out that I feel something for Kahoko. I will give her points for observation. The three of us have only been together once, I believe. But she said that I showed her my true self…What has Kahoko told her? I'll need to be careful if I want to salvage the situation and remain in control.**

As if reading his mind, Sumire responded, "She's told me everything. We became fairly good friends that day we first met. I can see why you'd be in love with her. I understand why you gave her the key to unlock the cage your family has stuffed you in. But isn't that cowardly? You need a girl to fight your battles for you."

The sting on his pride made him twitch slightly, but he held his ground. But, he could feel his control beginning to wear uncomfortably thin.

"Yunoki-san, she can't do it. She's not capable of freeing you from your prison."

His patience wore thinner. What did this irritating child mean by that?

"You're so stupid to give her this task, because she just can't…"

His control snapped. Azuma strode over to her, causing her to cower against the wall, and banged his hand against it, an ugly look painted across his face.

**She dares…First she pities me, and then proceeds to insult Kahoko in the same breath. Does she think that Kahoko is weak? Does she think that she is stronger than my Kahoko? What a joke. Spoiled brat…** His eyes raked over her petrified face callously. **This may be bad for my image, but I'll show her that no one talks about Kahoko with disrespect. She made a grave mistake by talking about Kahoko like that to **_**me**_**.**

Sumire's eyes widened in terror. She had been warned, but all of her mental preparation had not prepared her for this. The change in him was drastic. She almost couldn't recognize him. She felt a sick feeling unfurl in her stomach as cold dread spread over her body. She closed her eyes, waiting half in terror and half in anticipation for his next move. "_This is the moment of truth…_" She bit her lip and prayed, "_Please, oh please let the boy that I loved so long ago still exist!_"

"You're so…annoying," he murmured, in a voice as biting as ice. He towered over her, causing her to shrink even more against the wall. "I can't believe I have to marry a pathetic little child like you. And _I'm _the pathetic one? Who's over here cowering like a rat?" His voice was like poison, dripping with condescension, lashing out like a whip.

"S-so…So th-this is your true self," she whispered, her voice shaking slightly.

"What?" Azuma asked, in annoyance, quickly covering his surprise.

**That was a quick recovery. Impressive…it took Kahoko a couple days to adjust.**

"So this is what Kaho-chan was talking about," she murmured quietly. Hesitantly, she touched his cheek with her hand.

Azuma recoiled as if he had been touched by something filthy. "You're quite a tough nut to crack," he looked disdainful, yet slightly more wary. His ace in the hole was gone.

Sumire folded her hands in front of her and blushed slightly, pleased by the praise. Then, remembering that this was a war, she looked up defiantly, stating, "I'll take that as a compliment. I suppose it's only fair to tell you that Kaho-chan warned me that this is what you were like. I'll admit that it was a bit hard to believe, but I thought it wise to prepare myself for something like this; it looks like my preparation was necessary." Changing tracks, she continued, "But I should explain why I said those things about Kaho-chan."

His eyes narrowed dangerously, moving back over to her. This time, she stood her ground. A flash of irritation crossed over his face. Apparently she refused to be intimidated a different tactic would need to be used.

"Please do tell me why she can't, how did you put it," he sent her a condescending look. "_Free me from my cage_, as if that's something I would need someone _else_ to do for me," Azuma murmured, his amused expression making her feel like a silly, unruly child.

Under his gaze she could feel her resolve start to crumble. Doubts started to creep into her head. "_This is the defining moment, but…what if I'm wrong about him? He hasn't admitted that he loves her. What if I've been wrong about him this whole time? He hasn't admitted anything other than that he's been masquerading around as a perfect human being. What if…no._" She clenched her fists. "_I have to be strong._" Her grey eyes defiantly met his pale golden ones.

It was time to take the offensive. "Because she doesn't love you," she stated. The flat delivery took the wind out of him like a hard punch to the stomach.

But Azuma wasn't quite ready to give up. "Oh?" he asked, barely managing to look uninterested, "And this is supposed to be of interest to me?"

"Yes," Sumire whispered quietly. "I'm sorry, Yunoki-san, but she doesn't love you. She told me so herself."

Her tone tore at him. The finality and conviction of her words rang true, but he couldn't believe it. He felt his self-control threaten to slip. Everything was spiraling out of control. Where had he lost the situation? He had to regain the upper hand.

Then, as if she were adding salt to his raw wound, she added, "I think she may love another, even if she herself doesn't quite know it yet."

"Now you're just toying with me," he snarled at her. The words flew out of Azuma's mouth before they had fully formed in his head. Inwardly he cringed.

**Fantastic; you've all but admitted that her words are landing their marks.**

"While I will agree that saying that, regardless of whether it's a truthful opinion or not, would be a good way to gall you, I am telling the truth. When she told me that she didn't love you, there was something in her voice..."

Azuma closed his eyes and fell quiet. He couldn't ignore the truth of her words anymore. He was defeated.

Sumire could almost see all of his defenses being lowered at the knowledge that his princess didn't want him. Now was the time to lay down all of the cards that she had held for over ten years.

"A-A-Azuma-san…"

He raised his eyes to look at the now blushing girl. **Azuma-san? Did she just call me by my first name?**

"I-I-I love you." The girl's confession rang out, surprising him. As he made a motion to apologize, she hurriedly continued, "Please! Just hear me out!" She felt like a schoolgirl about to confess to her crush, which, in some sense, she was. "Azuma-san, you may not know this, but when I was in 1st grade, I often snuck into your backyard to listen to you practice for your piano lessons."

Azuma felt a little nervous. **She knows that I played piano?** He frowned slightly. **I guess that would explain why I sometimes felt like there was someone else there when I played.**

A torrent of words burst out of her soul. "The first time I heard you play was on accident, but after that, I secretly hid in your garden so I could listen to you play before I had to be taken to my piano lesson." She folded her hands before continuing, "Before I met you, music was something boring and tedious that I needed to learn to be an acceptable upper-class lady." Her whole face softened. "It was because of you that I learned how wonderful and beautiful music could be. Your piano playing was bewitching, and through it, I fell in love with you, Azuma-san." She looked straight at him, tears filling her eyes, and proceeded, "When you were forced to give up the piano, at first I was so distraught by the unfairness, I wanted to boycott playing the piano in protest."

Azuma shook his head. **While it's a sweet sentiment, it's rather foolish and childish.**

"But then I reasoned that doing that wouldn't help you, and decided that since you couldn't play anymore, I would play in your stead. I would practice and improve so that someday I could play for you, and you'd accept me." She paused for a breath and looked inquiringly at Azuma.

He simply waited for her to continue, his face unreadable. But he looked just the tiniest bit softer.

Taking courage from that hope, she continued. "There was a point when I truly despised you though. I went to see you at the 2nd selection of the concours. You played so half-heartedly, it made my blood boil. My piano prince whose memory I had cherished in my heart all those years had fallen so much."

A smirk came to Azuma's face, but quickly disappeared at her next sentence.

"But then Kaho-chan came and changed you. Your music in the third selection, the final selection, and every performance after that has been awe-inspiring." She smiled peacefully, "For helping you truly face your music again, I am forever grateful to Kaho-chan. She showed me that the heart of my piano prince was still alive. It had been bruised and damaged, but it still beat strongly."

Azuma gazed quietly at the girl. He had to admit that he was impressed with her analysis, for she was spot-on. And while his heart beat for Kahoko, he couldn't help but be slightly moved by this girl's words. Though he hadn't known it, she came from his past and had, in a sense, watched over him until now.

She took a deep breath and bowed. It was time. "Azuma-san, I know that you still love Kaho-chan, but in light of her rejection and my confession, do you think that maybe, my feelings will reach you? Do you think you could ever accept my love?" She whispered, "I don't want you to marry me if you don't love me, but it would be my greatest happiness for you to accept my love and truly make me your fiancée, not just a girl that you've been arranged to marry." She raised her eyes to Azuma's.

Since all the cards were on the table on both sides, Azuma looked at her without his normal pretense. There was no point hiding behind his mask anymore. Not only had she forced him to reveal himself to her, but she knew his heart because she had known his piano.

Suddenly, Sumire walked away from him and sat down at the piano.

**Oh? Is she going to play?** The piano's sweet sound floated around the room, filling it with warmth and light. _**Op. 12 Salut d'Amour**_** by Edward Elgar…** (youtube…com/watch?v=pmJYS5czb_A) He closed his eyes, listening to her song. **Indeed, this is love's greeting.**

Her tone was sweet and true. He knew that she poured all of her heart and all of her feelings for him into it. Through the notes he could feel the throes of one's first love, yearning, disappointment, redemption, confusion, despair, fear, and finally liberation as first love became a more mature love. The song came to a close. Yes, he could feel her love, and in surprise, he felt as if she had unlocked something within him.

**What is this feeling?**

Looking into his eyes, she smiled and motioned to the bench. Walking over to her, he sat down on the bench and hesitantly touched the keys that he had been denied. He chose one of his old songs from his 2nd grade lessons and began to play. Since 2nd grade was the last time he had been allowed to freely play the piano, it seemed appropriate to play a song from that time to bring things full circle.

**It's nice to play you again, my old friend.**

Sumire listened quietly, enjoying his strong, unadulterated tone. In some ways, his playing shone more brightly because it was a simple song. In the song, she could hear his answer. While he did not love her, he was willing to give her a chance. A chance was all she asked of him.

* * *

**Whoo hoo! One pairing down, four more to go! Hooray! I'm sorry if Azuma wasn't totally in character! I'm glad he got to play piano though. (^_^)**

**For those of you who didn't actually watch the video and just listened to the music, the original title of **_**Salut d'Amour**_** was **_**Liebesgruss**_**, or **_**Love's Greeting**_** in German. The title was changed to make it sell better because, for some reason, having a French title made it easier to sell in all of Europe. Here's another little trivia tidbit. Elgar composed the song and gave it to his fiancée, Caroline Alice, as an engagement present. *sigh* Isn't that romantic? The song was originally titled in German because she was fluent in the language, and the song was originally composed for violin and piano because Elgar played the violin and Caroline played the piano.**

**And that's your substitute for Lili's One Point Classic! *laughs***

**I promise, promise, promise that Kazuki will come back next chapter!**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**


	16. Strawberry

**Good evening! I hope you are all doing well! All reviews are appreciated!**

**hiharafan1****: Here is your chapter with a Kazuki x Kahoko scene as promised!**

* * *

*sigh* Kahoko shifted the stack of papers and other things in her arms in resignation. _Why did I have to arrive late again? I always end up having to run stupid errands for teachers, and they run me ragged. My legs and arms are already aching._ *sigh* _Let's see…I need to get this book from the library for Fujimoto-sensei, and deliver the rest of these things to Nakamura-sensei and Nakayama-sensei, and then I'll finally be done. Well, then, to the library._

As Kahoko looked around for Fujimoto-sensei's book, someone bumped into her.

The two exclaimed, "Oh! Sorry!" and, "Sorry!" simultaneously.

"Kaho-chan?"

"Hihara-senpai!" Then more quietly she whispered, "What're you doing here?"

Looking sheepish at his loud outburst, he whispered loudly, "My teacher recommended that I read a book about a style of playing called Jazz. I guess it's a style from America that makes heavy use of the trumpet. He thought that it might be good for me to expose myself to other types of music other than Classical." Smiling at her, he asked, "Are you looking for something too?"

She sighed and motioned to the stack of papers and other odds and ends that she had placed on a nearby table. "I was late to class again, so I need to find a book for Fujimoto-sensei."

"Ah, that's a bit rough," Kazuki winced slightly at the large stack of items that were waiting for her. "Would you like some help searching for your book?"

She shook her head and smiled. "I'll be ok, but thanks anyway."

"No problem." He flashed her a grin before turning back to the shelves.

The two searched for their respective books in silence. Eventually, Kazuki found his. Smiling, he poked his head around the corner to see if Kahoko had found hers. He was greeted by the sight of her straining on her toes to reach a thin, brown book on the top shelf.

Kahoko furrowed her brow in frustration as her fingers slipped off the top edge of the book. She pushed herself up on her toes again, trying to exceed her previous height. _Just a little bit more…Oh why did it have to be on the top shelf? Fujimoto-sensei is plenty tall enough to get his own book! Why didn't he get it himself? Then I wouldn't be stuck straining to reach the blasted thing. I must look like an idiot!_ She pushed herself ever so slightly up more on her tippy toes. Her fingers barely brushed the top rim of the book. Just as she was about to try and stretch just the slightest bit higher, a hand suddenly darted in and snatched her book. Jerking back in surprise, she found herself hitting against a hard, warm wall of…what?

Kazuki jumped slightly when Kahoko's head hit his chest. As he lowered his head to apologize for startling her, his nostrils were filled with the scent of her strawberry shampoo. The sweet fragrance reminded him of when he first fell for her at Shouko's villa, and without thinking, he nuzzled his nose in her strawberry-scented hair and breathed in deeply. For a few moments, the world was nothing but strawberry softness. "Kaho-chan," he murmured softly, inhaling another sweet, heavenly breath.

Kahoko froze. _Hi-Hi-Hihara-senpai…? What is he doing? He's so close; I can feel his chest against my back! What am I going to do? I can't move!_

"Hi-Hihara-senpai?" she whispered, trembling.

Kazuki reeled backward, realizing what he had just been doing. "K-Kaho-chan! I…I'm so sorry!"

The two of them looked at each other awkwardly, not sure what to say or do. The silence seemed to drag on for hours.

"Do you intend to give her her book?" a cold voice cut through the awkwardness like a blade of ice, causing both of them to jump.

"Tsukimori!" Kazuki looked nervously over at the boy who was pinning him to the bookshelf with his icy gaze. "Oh, umm…right, h-here's your book, Kaho-chan." He paused awkwardly after handing her the book; then shifted uncomfortably and blurted out, "I, umm…I've found mine, so I, uh, I guess I'll see you two later. Bye!"

Kazuki bolted away from them. He couldn't put enough distance between himself and the two violinists.

_**What did I just do? What did I just do? How could I have done that to Kaho-chan? I-I need to get out of here!**_

Len studied Kahoko's embarrassed countenance. Their thoughts raced.

_This is so embarrassing! How much did he see? Oh I could just die! Look on the bright side Kaho. At least it wasn't Amou-san. If it was, you would never be able to live this down!_

_**How long were they standing there? This really shouldn't bug me as much as it does. It's not like I'm dating her or anything. I just caught him…smelling her hair…She does have a pleasant scent; I noticed it when I fell asleep on her shoulder…**_ He quickly redirected his thoughts. _**I'd better say something.**_

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine Tsukimori-kun. Thank you for asking." She nervously shifted and averted her eyes.

His eyes fell on the book that had caused so much trouble. "That doesn't look like the kind of book you'd read, Hino, is it for a project?"

Suddenly remembering her mission, Kahoko replied, "Oh! This is for Fujimoto-sensei. I almost forgot that I needed to get this to him and deliver some other things. Thanks for reminding me, Tsukimori-kun."

"Did you need to deliver the articles left on the table over there?"

"Huh?" She looked momentarily confused before remembering, with a grimace, the rest of her chores. "Yeah actually."

"I will help you then."

"Oh! There's no need…"

"It must have been difficult for you to carry all of that by yourself, so I'll assist you. You may not make it back to class in time otherwise." He looked at her calmly.

_Well, it was hard to carry everything, and it would go by a lot more quickly if I had his help. Why not? He's the one who offered, after all. He has a point. It's probably almost time for class again._

"Thank you, Tsukimori-kun."

The two walked in relative silence, delivering the items to their respective teachers.

"Thank you for your help, Tsukimori-kun." She bowed twice quickly and smiled warmly at him. "There's no way I would have been able to get all these things done before the break ended without your help."

Len nodded in acknowledgement.

"Well, I'll see you later." Kahoko turned to leave.

"Hino…"

Kahoko turned to look at him in askance.

"If anyone is bothering you, I will gladly grant you my assistance." He fixed his eyes on something outside the window to keep his mind off of the embarrassment that he felt.

"Huh?"

_What is he saying?_

"Like earlier…" he alluded, a tad impatiently.

"Oh…" she blushed.

"Please let me know if you need aid in the future." He paused before stiffly adding, "Good bye, until we meet again."

Len started to walk off toward the Music Department side of campus.

"Tsukimori-kun!"

"Yes?" he turned to face her.

"I…I was wondering…if you could, please forget about…that earlier…_incident_," she stuttered as she fiddled absently with her hair.

"Why?"

"I-I…umm…err…" Kahoko stammered, blushing.

"Is it because it was an unpleasant memory?" His eyes locked with hers.

"Huh?"

_Was it unpleasant? It was certainly embarrassing, but…beneath all that embarrassment, it was kind of nice…maybe…_

Seeing her uncertainty, Len closed his eyes briefly; then fixed her with his gaze, stating, "Very well, I understand. Consider it forgotten." He turned and walked away.

His eyes reflected his troubled thoughts as he headed back to class. _**Hino, did you enjoy his touch? Is that why you can't respond to my question?**_

* * *

**Hmm…things are left a bit unsettled for our little love triangle. I wonder how things will straighten themselves out.**

**I haven't actually read the manga at all, so I'm not positive that Kahoko's hair smells like strawberries, but I feel like I read somewhere that in the manga or somewhere, it was confirmed that her hair does smell like strawberries.**

**The names of the teachers (Fujimoto, Nakamura, and Nakayama) are the last names of three of my Japanese friends that I met while studying abroad there a couple of years ago. I miss them! I hope we'll be able to see each other again someday.**

**Edit: 12/6/10: I almost forgot! The inspiration for this chapter came from chowmein's story "Vanilla." In that case, Shouko is the lucky one who has a scene with Kazuki though.**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**


	17. The Piano Romance

**Good evening! I hope you are all doing well! All reviews are appreciated! Thank you to those who have reviewed and those who have added this story to their favorites list!**

* * *

Kahoko walked back to class in a daze.

*flashback*

"Is it because it was an unpleasant memory?"

_*_end flashback*

She frowned uncertainly. _Wasn't it an unpleasant memory? It should have been. Why couldn't I tell him that was my reason?_ *sigh*

"Kaho, get your heads out of the clouds or you're going to end up running more errands," Nao scolded, poking the dazed girl in the side.

"Ouch…Nao! Don't do that!" she yelped, scooting away from her black-haired friend.

"Sorry, but seriously, you're going to get in trouble again if you keep spacing out like that." She gave her a pointed look.

"Is something wrong Kaho-chan?" Mio asked. She was concerned about how spaced out Kahoko had been.

_Wrong? What isn't going wrong? I feel like I'm going crazy!_

"Ah…don't worry about me…" Kahoko laughed a bit uncertainly.

Mio and Nao exchanged a glance. She was definitely hiding something, and maybe it had something to do with Kazuki. It was time to go on the offensive again.

Mio smiled sweetly at her distressed friend. "Hey, Kaho-chan, after you're done practicing with Mori-san, why don't we go get some cake? We can go to that tea garden that you wanted to try. We haven't gone out in ages."

Relieved at the change in subject, Kahoko readily agreed. "Sounds great, Mio."

- ( . _ . ) -

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. Kahoko got in some good practice with Manami and invited her along to join the others for cake. As the girls laughed and chatted over the delicious baumkuchen and tea, Kahoko could feel herself relaxing and enjoying the company of her friends. But of course all good things can't last for long.

"Oh, Hino-san," Manami interjected, "I just remembered something."

"What is it, Mori-san?" Kahoko smiled and looked questioningly at her friend.

"I ran into Hihara-senpai on the way to meeting you for practice. He seemed very flustered and was muttering your name as I passed by. Do you know what might have been wrong with him?"

Kahoko's smile disappeared and was replaced by a deep blush followed by a pained look. The other girls looked at her in concern.

"Hino-san?"

"Ah…sorry, Mori-san…I-I'm not…sure…Sorry I can't help you…" she replied haltingly. She had never been a good liar.

"Kaho…" Nao murmured sadly, "Do you really trust us so little that you can't tell us when something's wrong?"

Kahoko felt herself jerk in surprise. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "I-I'm sorry, it's not like that it's just…I'm so confused by everything, and I don't know how to express myself, or what to think about it," she confessed.

They all fell into a heavy silence.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up, Hino-san," Manami apologized, breaking the silence. She bit her lip. "It wasn't really any of my business. Hihara-senpai just looked really agitated, so I guess my curiosity got the better of me." She bowed her head. "I'm very sorry."

Shaking her head, Kahoko assured her, "It's not your fault Mori-san." She looked down at the table. "It…it's like Nao said; I haven't been willing to trust and rely on the people who've been standing by me through thick and thin." She looked up with an apologetic look. "At least now I know that I need to work on it in the future." Turning to Mio and Nao, she asked, "Will you forgive me? You're my best friends in the whole world. I don't want to let things like fear and confusion cheapen our friendship." She took a deep breath. "I…I promise to work on being more open with you."

Mio and Nao smiled at her. Mio had tears in her eyes.

"Of course we'll forgive you, Kaho-chan."

"After all, what are friends for?"

"Thank you guys!"

The three girls clasped hands as Manami looked on and smiled.

Mio and Nao glanced at each other and nodded almost imperceptibly. While they were still curious about Kazuki, they would leave Kahoko alone. In her timing, she would come to them if she needed help.

Soon after, they finished their food and packed up. As they left the cake shop, Kahoko and Manami stopped. Mio and Nao turned questioningly.

"Do you hear that?" Manami asked (youtube…com/watch?v=va1z22J0wig).

"Hear what?" Nao replied quizzically.

"The music…" Kahoko responded.

Mio and Nao tagged along as Kahoko and Manami followed the music, which lead them to Minami Instruments. When Kahoko saw where they were, she smiled and grinned at Manami before sneaking all of them in the store. She motioned for the others to peek through the shelves of music books in order to see Ryoutaro practicing piano.

Manami's breath caught, entranced by his performance. When he played his last chord, she stepped out of the shadows, clapping and smiling at him.

"Mori! What are you doing here?"

The three girls buzzed silently behind the shelves. He had started referring to her more familiarly; this was exciting!

She blushed a little bit. "I…I was walking and heard something, so I followed it here." More brightly, she continued, "That was Chopin's _Nocturne in E minor, Op. 72, No. 1_, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was." He grinned at her. "You sure know your Chopin."

"Well, what kind of piano student would I be if I couldn't recognize a Chopin piece?" Manami teased.

Ryoutaro laughed. "You've got me there."

"Are you playing that for your solo piece at the Christmas Eve concert?"

He shook his head regretfully. "No, I don't think so." He shrugged. "I just wanted to try playing it. I'm thinking that I might go with Liszt's _La campanella_, but at the same time, I have some other pieces in mind."

Manami's face broke into a smile. "You played _La campanella_ so well at the final selection. It felt like something was being freed and had taken flight." Looking thoughtful, she asked, "Tsuchiura-kun, are you hesitating to play _La campanella_ because you've played it before and want to try something else?"

"Well, that's not the whole reason, but I can't say that it's not part of it," Ryoutaro admitted.

"Why is it that you would consider _La campanella_ to be your heartfelt melody?"

Mio and Nao's ears perked up in anticipation while Kahoko looked surprised at Manami's boldness; in reality it was a somewhat personal question, though it might not seem so at first glance.

He turned toward the piano, absently running his fingers over the keys while scrutinizing her out of the corner of his eye. **Mori's a good friend of Hino's and we've been getting closer lately. She's a nice girl; there's nothing devious or underhanded about her that I've seen so far. Why not let her know your story? It's not like it's a big deal anymore, right?**

Ryoutaro started, "I started playing piano when I was maybe around 5." He smiled a little to himself. "Not to sound conceited, but from the very start, it was obvious that I had a gift for playing the piano." Sighing, he began absently plinking the right hand of the opening of _La campanella_. "When I was in elementary school, I entered a junior concours." He rested his hand on the keys. "I was the only elementary school student to participate. Most of the participants were in high school." He turned to face her. "I played _La campanella_ for that competition."

Manami's eyes went round before softening in sympathy. "Let me guess," she murmured softly, "Even though you were far better than everyone else, they didn't think that an elementary school kid should win when there were high schoolers who would never be able to enter a competition like this again."

Ryoutaro raised an eyebrow, impressed at her perceptiveness. "In a word, yes."

Mio and Nao looked surprised. Poor Tsuchiura-kun.

He turned back to the piano, his eyes slightly dark, yet sorrowful. "After that, I refused to play in front of people." He smiled sadly. "I loved the piano too much to give it up altogether, but I felt as if my music, my everything, was rejected when I was passed up during that competition." A pained look flitted across his face as he remembered the unfairness of the situation. "The first time I played in front of people again was when I accompanied for Hino."

Manami bit her lip. She had to know. Even if it would only result in her heart being dashed to pieces, she had to know. Concentrating on steadying her voice, she bravely stated, "You really care for her, don't you, Tsuchiura-kun."

Behind the bookshelf, three pairs of eyes widened and awaited his answer with bated breath.

Blushing a little bit, he started to deny it, but when he looked at her, he just couldn't lie. Manami looked so solemnly at him that the thought of lying made him ashamed of himself.

**There's something about her eyes; it's like she sees right through me and will know if I'm lying. I've been truthful with her so far, and for some reason, when she looks at me like that, I feel as if I owe her the truth. Well…it's not like Hino is here…And Mori isn't the type to gossip about something like this to her.**

"I do."

Manami bit her lip thinking, "_I knew it._"

Behind the shelf, Mio and Nao shot concerned glances at Kahoko's now deathly white face. Things had become very complicated very quickly.

_Tsuchiura-kun cares for me? I never even knew! How much pain have I caused him all this time? ?_

As she and Manami agonized, they started when Ryoutaro spoke again. "I do care for her, but I think I'm going to give up on her."

Manami's head shot up. "Why? ?" she blurted out.

Ryoutaro looked curiously over at her, and she covered her mouth in embarrassment. Shaking his head and smiling ironically, he said, "Because her heart is flying to someone else."

All four girls were shocked, rooted to their spots. Mio and Nao's eyes locked on Kahoko.

"Y-you know that for a fact, Tsuchiura-kun?" she whispered.

"Well, not really…Call it a gut feeling, I guess." He brushed his fingers through his hair. "I've learned over time to listen to my gut, and for a while now it's been saying to let her go because she is slowly but surely giving her heart to another." He looked at the piano with melancholy in his eyes. "I didn't want to listen because I haven't cared for a girl this much ever before, but after a while, even I could see that Hino sees me as an older brother figure or a confidant, and not as a man that she could fall in love with." He smiled sardonically as he performed an upward, right-hand glissando. "There were times when she would take notice of me, but in general it just wasn't there for her." He smiled softly at Manami. "I'll never stop caring for her, but I've decided that from now on I'll watch over her like an older brother and not like a man in love."

The girls ducked as he looked toward the shelves. For a second, it was almost like he could see them!

"As for whoever the lucky guy is, I'm sure he'll be the best one for her. I trust her judgment." He laughed sardonically, "Even if it's that ice cube I'd trust her judgment. She's the only one that can warm that guy up."

Embarrassed at the supposed relationship between her and Len, Kahoko rushed over from behind the shelves with Mio and Nao following behind. She burst out, "Wh-what are you saying, Tsuchiura-kun?"

"Hino? ! Takato? ! ? ! Kobayashi? ! ? ! ? !" He shot up to his feet, visibly shaken. "Have you been there this whole time?"

Looking guilty, Manami admitted, "Yes, they have been…I-I'm sorry, I should have said something before…but I forgot they were there." Manami bowed over and over to show how earnestly sorry she was. "I-I was so enchanted with your music that when you stopped playing, I just had to come out of hiding. Hino-san knew that if you were aware of your audience you would stop playing, even if it was only to greet us, so we hid so you would continue. And then…well, I guess one thing led to another, and it became difficult for them to reveal themselves…I-I'm truly sorry!" Manami bowed, earnestly sorry.

"We're sorry too, Tsuchiura-kun!" The other three bowed.

Running his right hand through his hair, he sighed. "So…" he blushed, "I guess now you know how I feel, huh, Hino?"

Kahoko turned bright pink.

Slowly walking over to her, he paused before quietly saying, "I may be an idiot for asking, but…do you have any feelings for me?"

"Tsuchiura-kun…I…I…I…" she stammered.

*sigh* He closed his eyes, painfully. "That's what I thought." He slowly returned to the piano and packed up his things before bowing to the girls as he left the shop. Somehow he had managed to maintain a quiet dignity despite his rejection.

The girls stood there in silence for a bit as Kahoko cried.

_How could I do that to him? Why couldn't I respond to him? I must have hurt him so much!_

As if coming out of a trance, Manami murmured, "Tsuchiura-kun…" Then resolutely, she turned to Mio and Nao and said, "Takato-san, Kobayashi-san, I'm sorry, but I…I'm going to go after Tsuchiura-kun. Please take care of Hino-san for me!" Manami tore out of the shop, running after Ryoutaro.

- (o_o) -

"Tsuchiura-kun!" Manami's voice rang out, causing Ryoutaro to stop walking and face her.

She panted for breath, having run the whole way to the park to catch up with him.

He looked at her in concern. **Did she run the whole way from the shop? She doesn't look like a runner. If she's not careful, she'll get sick.**

"Please, play _La campanella_ for your solo piece at the concert!" she gasped out.

"Huh?" He blinked once. He did _not_ expect her to say that.

"I know that you want to play another piece because you want to move on from that incident from so long ago, but you said so yourself," she leaned against a park bench for support, still gasping from the strenuous exercise, "The reason that you were so traumatized was because you felt like your music, all of who you were, was rejected! You put your whole heart into playing that piece both then and at the final selection. You've stopped doing things half-heartedly like you did when you were hiding your piano." She looked straight into his eyes. "_La campanella_ is a song that contains a lot of history for you. It brings your life up to this point full-circle. You can't play it without pouring your all into it. In a way, doesn't that make it your heartfelt melody?"

Ryoutaro stared at the girl before him.

**How did she know that my mind always came back to this song despite my desire to try something fresh and new? How can this girl I hardly know read my heart so easily?**

Manami felt herself starting to black out from the heat.

As he realized that she was falling, Ryoutaro reached out and caught her, holding her in his arms. He shook his head at her and carried her over to some shade. **She really needs to take better care of herself.** Pulling out his bottle of water, he wet a cloth to put on her forehead. When she started to stir, he offered her the water bottle.

"You really shouldn't exhaust yourself like that Mori. What would you have done if you hadn't found me? You could have ended up in the hospital or something," he scolded.

She flushed red, slightly ashamed. She hadn't thought of that! "I-I guess it was kind of dumb, but I knew that no matter what, I had to find you and tell you what I had to say."

"I appreciate it." Ryoutaro blushed slightly. Jokingly he added, "Well, I guess if I don't make _La campanella_ my solo piece, then that would make me a world-class jerk. After all, you almost landed yourself in the hospital for that song."

Manami blushed in embarrassment. "I guess I _have_ made a bit of a nuisance of myself."

Ryoutaro smiled kindly at her, "Don't worry about it."

They sat in silence for a bit as Manami sipped water to regain her strength. "Uh, umm…Tsuchiura-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"I…I suppose this may not be the world's best timing, but…I've liked you for a long time now."

His eyes widened at her words. **Is she confessing? !**

"Actually…you're the reason that I started accompanying for Hino-san." Hurriedly she added, "Of course, I was very impressed with the strength and performance she exhibited. I'd never heard a _Tristesse_ like it before, but…I will admit that I had hoped that by joining the concours as her accompanist, I'd be able to get closer to you…Your accompaniment was breathtaking. Even though you didn't know where she was going with it, you were able to follow her flawlessly. I was so impressed with you, I did my own research about you and found that I liked what I had seen and heard." She blushed, "It also doesn't hurt that you're _extremely_ handsome…"

Ryoutaro could feel heat come to his cheeks at that comment.

"You don't need to give me an answer now," Manami murmured quietly. "I'm sure that even if you've decided to give up on Hino-san, it will take you some time to get over her. I'm sure your love for her was by no means shallow."

Her consideration moved him. Since she was feeling better, he held out his hand and helped her up. "Umm…Mori…"

"Yes?" She looked up at him expectantly.

He looked away with a dull blush on his cheeks and ran his hand through his hair. "Would you mind if I, err…walked you home?"

Manami smiled joyously. "I'd be honored if you would."

Since she was still a bit unsteady, he let her hold his arm as they walked.

- o(^_^)o -

Kahoko went to school the next day with a heavy heart.

_I've caused Tsuchiura-kun so much pain, how can I ever face him again?_

"Good morning Kaho-chan!" Kazuki waved with a smile.

_Thank goodness I have good friends like Mio and Nao. They stayed with me until the end._

"Uh, Kaho-chan?" Kazuki looked confused, as he walked a little faster to catch up with her.

_In light of his confession, it seems so obvious. How did I not notice? I really am a terrible person!_

"Kaho-chan, what's wrong?" Kazuki asked in concern, suddenly popping up in front of her.

"Ah! Hi-Hihara-senpai!" She jumped in surprise. "What-what do you mean?" she asked nervously.

"You look so sad. What's the matter?"

"Well…" Kahoko cast her gaze downward. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to him, but how could she share what had happened? She had already hurt Ryoutaro so much, and telling Kazuki about his failed confession would hurt him even more.

"Shall we walk?"

Kahoko looked up at him again, a little surprised.

He gave her a small smile. "If you don't feel comfortable talking, we can just walk together. Sometimes it just helps to have someone with you so you know you're not alone."

She shot him a grateful smile. He was such a sensitive guy. "Thank you, Hihara-senpai."

They walked in silence for a while. As much as Kazuki wanted to slay whatever dragon she was facing, he knew better than to press her. She had to confide in him of her own accord, or he'd just be causing her more trouble.

"I…" she started hesitantly. "Yesterday, I hurt a very dear friend."

Kazuki nodded sympathetically.

The words came slowly and haltingly out of her. "Over and over again, I took advantage of my friend's kindness, not realizing how much trouble I was causing. Until yesterday, the selfishness of my actions was revealed to me."

He felt his heart constrict at the sight of her grieving face. He impulsively stretched out his hand toward her, but her next words caused him to pause, his fingers a hair's breadth away from her upper arm.

"And when it was most critical, I couldn't say anything." Her shoulders shook slightly. "I'm a terrible person. How could I not say anything? I just stood there and watched my friend suffer at my hands without a single word." She looked ready to cry.

He placed his hand on her nearest shoulder, causing her to stop right by Lili's statue and look at his serious face. "You're not a terrible person, Kaho-chan. You may not have handled that situation well, but that doesn't make you a terrible person." He gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "You're truly sorry for what you've done in the past. Just make amends with that person as soon as you can. If this person is important to you, then you want to make sure you show that." He shot her an encouraging smile. "The longer you wait, the harder it will be to address this. You don't want your friendship to be ruined because you got tongue-tied, right?" He dropped his hand from her shoulder.

Kahoko nodded slowly. It was good advice. She still felt unsure, but he had given her direction. She lifted her head to thank him.

At the sight of the tears threatening to fill her eyes, Kazuki felt himself stiffen. _**Kaho-chan…**_ Slowly, he lifted his hand to touch her face.

The intensity of his gaze rendered her speechless. She heard herself gasp as his fingers lightly touched her face. The heat from his palm warmed her cheek.

"Don't cry," he murmured, running his thumb over her cheekbone. He tenderly brushed a couple of tears from her lashes with his index finger. "Please don't cry…"

She closed her eyes and let his comfort seep into her. Her breath shuddered out. There was probably something inappropriate about this situation, but it felt so nice. His touch felt so good and the comfort that he offered to her chased away the misery and torment that she had felt since the previous afternoon. For the sake of this feeling, she'd let herself be lost in the moment.

"Hino-san!"

They jumped slightly, with identically guilty looks on their faces. Kahoko quickly schooled hers into a less guilty look before poking her head around Kazuki in order to better see her piano-playing friend. "Mori-san…"

"Good morning!" the girl cheerfully responded as she walked up to the two, completely unaware of the moment she had just interrupted.

"Ah…good morning…" She gave Manami a tight smile. "You're sure in a good mood today."

"Yes," she smiled with a nod. She then turned to Kazuki. "Would it be alright if I borrowed Hino-san, Hihara-senpai? I have something that I need to tell her."

"Ah…" Kazuki looked questioningly at Kahoko. He really didn't want to leave her when she was so visibly upset, but he could tell that Manami wanted to talk to Kahoko privately.

Kahoko hesitated, but then smiled bravely and nodded to Kazuki. He could go on ahead.

"Sure, Mori-chan; I'll see you around, Kaho-chan." He smiled encouragingly at her before turning to leave.

Manami smiled and motioned for Kahoko to follow her. They walked until they reached a more secluded spot. Then she turned and looked at Kahoko somberly. "I'm sorry for leaving you at the music store like that. I…I had some things that I needed to tell Tsuchiura-kun."

"Ah…it's ok," she squeezed out a smile, "What did you talk to him about?"

"Well, first I convinced him to trust in his heart and play _La campanella_ for his concert piece, and then…" she blushed, "I confessed my feelings for him."

"Eh? ! ? ! You confessed? ! ? ! ? ! !" Kahoko clapped her hand over her mouth in shock.

"Shh! ! ! Not so loudly!" Manami hissed, her face a bright, tomato red. "But yes," she smiled, "And he walked me home afterward." With a shy smile, she murmured, "I think…my feelings reached him, so please don't stress yourself out. I think for a while, he'll have residual feelings for you, but it looks like I managed to catch my guy." Manami winked at her.

Tears sprang to Kahoko's eyes. She grabbed Manami's hands and said, "Congratulations, Mori-san! I'm so happy for you! You don't know what a load you've taken off my mind!"

Feeling a little teary-eyed herself, Manami explained, "I had a feeling you'd be beating yourself up about this, so I wanted to tell you first thing this morning." Then, looking at her watch after giving her eyes a quick swipe, she concluded, "Well, I guess I'll see you in practice room 3 at lunch."

"Yup! See you then!" Kahoko grinned back at her friend, having also wiped away her tears.

The girls went their separate ways smiling.

"Good morning Mio! Good morning Nao!"

"Hey! You're in a pretty good mood this morning." Nao replied in surprise. "Did something happen?"

"Some of the best news ever, but you'll need to wait until lunch to find out," she confided in a low voice.

"What? ? That's so mean Kaho-chan! Why can't you tell us now? ? ?" Mio pouted.

"Alright class, clear off your desks for your quiz…" the teacher announced as she strode through the door.

- (^_~) -

At lunch, Kahoko and Manami practiced their hearts out for the majority of the lunch break and then hurried to the others so they could eat.

"Hino-chan, Mori-san, over here~!" Nami waved.

The girls quickly greeted everyone and sat.

"So Hino-chan, a little bird told me that you have some news?" Nami inquired.

"Not me, Mori-san does."

"Oh?" All the girls looked expectantly at Manami.

"W-well…" she blushed, and murmured demurely, "I confessed my feelings to Tsuchiura-kun yesterday, and they seemed to have reached him."

"Congratulations!"

"That's great!"

"Good for you!"

"I'm so happy for you!"

The girls were all beside themselves with the news.

"So when's your first date?" Nami asked, surreptitiously opening her notepad.

"Umm…well…that hasn't really been decided yet. He…he is still getting over someone else, but he said that he'll come to my piano recital next week. It's not really a date, but…I think it's a step in the right direction."

"This is wonderful news, Mori-san! You've started a new piano romance legend!" Mio beamed.

Everyone laughed and urged Manami to relate how she confessed. They gasped when she told them about how she had fainted, and sighed when she explained how he had taken care of her and supported her the whole way home. When the bell rang, everyone reluctantly stood up, wanting to talk more about this recent romantic development. But it was not to be, so they bid each other good bye and made their ways back to their respective classrooms.

- \(^o^)/ -

*sigh* _Why am I always picked to go deliver things?_ Kahoko wondered as she struggled to balance the mountainous stack of paper. _For once I was a model student. I wasn't late; I paid attention in class; I answered all of the questions the teacher asked of me correctly…Maybe they're so used to picking on me that it's become a habit._ *sigh*

*BONK*

"Ah!" Papers flew everywhere.

"Hino? Is that you?" Ryoutaro asked, while snatching at some of the papers that were drifting toward the ground.

"Tsuchiura-kun!"

"Sorry about that, my bad." He shot her an apologetic smile. "Let me help you with that."

The two of them gathered the scattered pieces of paper and Ryoutaro helped her deliver them. After delivering the papers, they walked back together in a somewhat awkward silence.

_I hate this uncomfortable feeling. The silence is so heavy. I have to fix this. Like Hihara-senpai said; I have to apologize. I couldn't forgive myself if I let this chance slip by._

"I…I'm sorry about the other day, Tsuchiura-kun…" Kahoko whispered.

He smiled down at her in relief and gave her head a good-natured knock. The silence had been uncomfortable for him too, but he couldn't pretend that things were completely fine between them. "Don't worry about it. I think I've known for a while, but I had to be masochistic and hear it for myself." Bending down to meet her eyes, he looked at her seriously. "Hino, can you deny anything that I said yesterday about your feelings for me?"

They stood there for a minute as her mind raced. Finally though, she sadly shook her head no.

He smiled at her and straightened up, "See now? You've given me your answer, so stop worrying about it." He playfully ruffled her hair. "Besides," he blushed slightly, "I was thinking of taking Mori out to dinner later this week to thank her for helping me settle on my solo piece for the concert."

Kahoko looked up in surprise, and then broke out into a smile. "That's great, Tsuchiura-kun! Mori-san is a wonderful girl!"

He tried to pretend that he didn't care much, although his cheeks had turned a pale pink, and retorted, "She seems nice enough; I'm certainly grateful to her, but she's in the same class as that stuck up Tsukimori."

Kahoko laughed. Ryoutaro looked at her questioningly. "I guess your dislike for Tsukimori-kun isn't ever going to change."

"There's nothing good about that guy other than that his musical style has been improving slightly," Ryoutaro muttered.

Laughing, the two headed toward their respective classrooms.

* * *

**Wow this chapter is super-duper long! I was originally planning for this to be three chapters (there were three things that I wanted to happen before we hit our next chapter), but then I figured that you guys would rather get extraneous pairing stuff out of the way, so I condensed it into one. It's so long though! It's become a mega-chapter!**

**The three things I wanted to happen were for there to be some sort of resolution to Mio and Nao cornering Kahoko, for Ryoutaro and Manami to confess, and for Kahoko and Ryoutaro to patch things up between them. I originally wasn't planning on having Kazuki make an appearance, but after reading over my first draft, I decided to have him comfort Kahoko a bit. (^_^) He's such a sweetheart, and it seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up.**

**I'm thinking of titling my next chapter "Pocket." You'll see why. (^_^)**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**


	18. Pocket

**Good morning! I apologize for the kind of late update. I was originally working really hard so I could post updates for my two stories on Kazuki's birthday (December 12), but then I realized as I kept writing that things weren't turning out so great for him. In my other story, I'm having a lot of trouble setting the proper mood; and for this story, no matter how much I wanted to write in Kazuki, Len came out instead. Seeing as this is a Len x Kahoko chapter, it didn't seem appropriate to post it on his birthday. After December 12, I started a new job, so I've spent every free hour recuperating from the transition to becoming a working stiff.**

**On a brighter note, on December 12, I was struck with inspiration for a new story, so that will get written whenever I'm blocked on my current two. We'll see which story comes out first.**

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for those who have reviewed this story! And thanks to those who've added it to their favorites list. Both of these things make me so happy! (^_^)**

* * *

"So you got to make up with Tsuchiura-kun? That's great Kaho-chan!" Mio beamed. "That must be such a relief."

"It is, Mio," Kahoko responded with a cheerful nod, "And I even heard him say that he was planning to treat Mori-san out to dinner sometime soon." In a lower voice, she added with a mischievous glint in her eye, "But don't let her know. I think he'd prefer if he could surprise her."

Nao winked, "Roger that."

Kahoko quickly glanced at the clock. "Well, I'd better get to practicing, there's not a whole lot of time left before the concert." She ran to the door before turning to wave good bye. "I'll see you two next week!"

"Yup! Bye!"

Kahoko headed to the practice rooms. As she neared them, she could see Len talking to Megumi.

_Shouji-san looks a lot more at ease around him. I'm glad he's softened toward her a bit. He's still got that same stoic expression on his face that he always does though. I guess some things don't change._

"Hino." Len had seen her.

"Hi Tsukimori-kun, Shouji-san." She bobbed her head slightly in greeting. "Are you two going to practice?"

Len shook his head slightly. "Not today. I'm playing for a charity concert with my parents on Christmas, so I'm taking the day off to practice for that."

"Wow! That sounds wonderful!" She smiled brightly at the boy. "How many numbers will you be doing with them?"

"Three."

"That's great!" She nodded in amazement.

Megumi watched Len in quiet suffering as he and Kahoko conversed. "_He looks at Hino-senpai as if she were the only person in the world...I'll never be able to hold a candle to her…_" She looked away sadly. "_I should go, he doesn't want or need me to be here_," she thought miserably.

"Excuse me, but I've got something to do. Good bye," she murmured quickly before hurriedly making her exit.

Kahoko frowned slightly as she watched the girl's retreating back. _I wonder why Shouji-san left so abruptly. For some reason, it almost seemed like she looked kind of sad…_

"I was wondering if I could request a favor from you," Len's voice cut into her thoughts.

"Hmm?" she responded distractedly. When her thoughts caught up to the present she responded, "Oh, sure, what is it Tsukimori-kun?"

He looked at her very seriously. "Before you leave for the day, would you be kind enough to listen to me play the songs I will be performing?"

"I'd love to," she replied eagerly. It was a strange request for the boy, but there was no way she'd pass up this opportunity. She could potentially learn a lot from his performance. After all, the majority of getting good is practicing. "What practice room will you be in?"

"I have reserved Room 6."

"Then I'll see you there later." She waved good bye as she walked into another practice room. For the next couple of hours, it was just her and her violin. The two of them sent lilting notes dancing around the room. For once, Kahoko didn't really have any new sections to work, so she just enjoyed playing her songs over and over. Finally, she deemed that she had practiced enough and packed up.

*Knock, Knock*

Len looked up from his violin to see Kahoko smile and bow her head at him. He nodded to signal that she may enter the room. Kahoko sat on the piano bench, next to a small stereo.

"Are you using the stereo to help you practice?"

"Yes," he replied while fiddling with the stereo to change the track. "It contains a recording of my parents playing together without my part. It helps me know what it will sound like all together."

"I see. That's a good idea." She nodded, mentally taking notes.

He hit play and walked away from her. "The first song will be Moritz Moszkowski's _Suite in G minor for 2 violins and piano, Op. 71, Third Movement_ (youtube...com/watch?v=NUlepPDReqM)."

The song seemed to fill the room as it swelled, the two violins singing together with the piano softly supporting them. Kahoko had never heard anything like it. She could feel tears start to form in her eyes.

_The beauty of the song makes me want to weep. The violins seem to be crying too, such an ethereal, sweet sound._

As the last note rang out, she gave a soft sigh, entranced by the song. He paused for a second, his eyes watching her.

_**She's so beautiful…**_ He turned his eyes back to his violin before closing his eyes. _**Thank you for teaching me the secret of how to move people's hearts with music. I pray that I will be able to move yours.**_ He readied himself for the next song. _**This performance is solely for you…**_

He continued, "Next is _Sonata for Two Violins and Piano, H. 213, I. Allegro poco moderato _by Bohuslav Martinu (youtube…com/watch?v=J3VqbVW0euk)."

The sharp contrast between the two songs caught her by surprise. _This song is much faster, more playful, and energetic whereas the last song was sorrowful with long, lingering notes. It almost has the feel of a village coming to life in the spring. The notes feel like they're dancing on the air. Sometimes they're whirling around, and at other times they simply float. In some ways, this seems like a more masculine song than the previous._

The last note sounded, and Len's violin fell silent. Kahoko looked eagerly up at him, ready for his final selection.

"The final piece is Johann Sebastian Bach's _Double Violin Concerto in D Minor, First Movement, Vivace_ (youtube...com/watch?v=-CwICXwLBmo)."

She felt her lips turn up in a smile when the music started. _This song is pleasant to just sit and listen to. It feels like the violins are having a conversation. One starts, then the other joins briefly and continues._ Her expression took on a more serene quality. _I feel like I'm in a meadow with a breeze blowing through my hair. Although it's not really a peaceful song, I somehow feel peaceful._ She let out a soft sigh of contentment. _Tsukimori-kun's playing has gotten so much softer. It makes me feel warm and light._

Len quietly observed Kahoko's peaceful expression. _**I see that you find this song soothing also.**_ He turned back to his violin with hooded eyes. _**There's something about it that just seems to smooth over any rough edges inside.**_

When he put down his violin, Kahoko opened her eyes and clapped, "Bravo! That was amazing, Tsukimori-kun!"

He nodded in acknowledgement, "Thank you…" He looked outside the window and frowned slightly. "It's dark, so I'll escort you home."

She looked surprised. She hadn't realized it was so late. "Oh, uh, thank you."

The two shared a comfortable silence as they walked toward Kahoko's house. But true to winter, it was very cold, and Kahoko had forgotten her gloves. Watching her blow on her hands in a vain attempt to warm them, Len finally broke the silence.

"If your hands are cold, then you can use my pocket."

"Huh?" Kahoko asked, looking confused for a second.

He showed her his empty pocket and offered again, "If you'd like, it's available for you to use."

At his offer, her brain went into overdrive. _Should I? It's kind of a couple-like thing to do, and I don't want to give him the wrong idea,_ she flexed her fingers a little, _but at the same time, my hands are freezing!_ She winced. _Ouch my fingers…_ She blushed a little bit. _I guess comfort is going to win…_ Then, as if talking herself into it, she thought, _It would be terrible if I had trouble playing…_

"Th-thank you, Tsukimori-kun." She bobbed her head slightly in thanks.

Kahoko slowly placed her right hand in his pocket. Now her right hand was warm, but unfortunately Len's generous offer didn't do much for her left hand, which was growing stiffer by the second from holding onto her violin case in the biting cold.

A few minutes later, Len brusquely pulled off his left glove and handed to her with a curt, "Here."

Before she could open her mouth to protest, he grabbed her violin case and pressed the glove in her hand.

Blushing in embarrassment she semi-reluctantly put on his glove, using the same flow of reasoning that she had for accepting his previous offer. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for the glove, but now that she was wearing his glove, what was he going to do?

A few seconds after the thought had crossed her mind, he carefully slid his left hand in the same pocket. Kahoko's eyes widened. Their hands were barely touching, so it couldn't really be said that they were holding hands, but she could feel her cheeks warm just the same. As her mind darted in confusion, his voice cut through the night.

"You looked very peaceful when I played Bach's _Concerto_ earlier. Even though in itself, it is not a peaceful song, you find yourself feeling soothed by it."

Grateful for the distraction from her thoughts, she commented, "Th-that's what I thought too." She smiled a little nervously, trying really hard to ignore the situation at hand. "You played beautifully during practice. I was moved."

He nodded in thanks before abruptly asking, "Are you free on Christmas?"

"H-huh? Why?" Kahoko blushed anew.

_Christmas day? Why would he want to see me then? Generally if you're out on Christmas day, then you're either with family or on a date…!_

"I was wondering if you would be interested in attending the concert." He watched her out of the corner of his eye.

"O-oh…" she replied unsteadily with a nervous laugh.

_Haha, silly me. Of course it had something to do with music. Why do I let myself get so worked up over nothing?_ Their fingers brushed, causing her face to increase in redness. _Although the fact that our hands keep bumping is starting to turn into a very big deal!_

"Hino?"

Snapping out of it, she stammered, "O-oh, umm…err…I'm not sure. I-I think my parents would prefer that I spend the day with family…My brother only comes home from school once a year and I haven't been able to spend much time with my family recently because I've been practicing for the exhibition."

Len hid his disappointment with a curt nod. "I understand."

"I'm sorry, Tsukimori-kun…" She really did regret it. She was sure the concert would be spectacular. It wasn't often that one got to hear the talents of musicians as accomplished as his parents.

"We're here," he announced quietly, finally giving her good reason to release her hand from his pocket.

"W-would you like to come inside briefly to warm up?" Kahoko asked, handing him back his glove. She shivered a bit in the new-found chill.

"I'll be fine. Thank you for the offer." He responded, frowning slightly at the curtains of her house. He could have sworn they had just moved.

"Well…if you're sure…" she tentatively offered again.

He nodded.

"Alright." She smiled and walked through her front gate before turning back. "Good night Tsukimori-kun, I'll see you next week."

"Good night."

Len watched her until she closed the door behind her, then he disappeared into the night, fingering the ticket he had requested for her in his other pocket.

* * *

**Oh dear, Len seems to be gaining a bit of an upper hand here. At least Kahoko (unintentionally of course) blew him off. *devious smile***

**Sorry if Len's rather out-of-character! I've already been told that he's nicer than he probably usually would be. That in addition to the fact that he's pretty aware of his feelings for Kahoko I guess would make him pretty out-of-character. But a ****tsundere**** character has to eventually get to the ****dere**** part, right?**

**Language note: ****tsundere**** is a character development process where someone is initially cold or hostile toward a person and gradually warms up to that person (basically the way Len acts/acted toward Kahoko). ****Tsun**** is from ****tsun-tsun**** which means to turn away in disgust; and ****dere**** is from ****dere-dere**** which means to become lovey-dovey. I have trouble imagining Len as lovey-dovey personally. The state I've put him in now is probably as lovey-dovey as he'll ever get. *laughs***

**I don't know why, but that whole pocket thing seems to be a fairly common romantic gimmick in Japan. I've seen it used in at least 3 Japanese dramas. I will admit that it is rather cute. However, unlike Len, the intention usually is to actually hold the girl's hand. After the girl's hand is in his pocket, he's supposed to slip his hand in and take it. Considering that it's just about as good as a confession, he probably wanted to hold off.**

***sigh* I would have **_**loved**_** for Kazuki to be the one to share that pocket scene with Kahoko, but…that just doesn't seem like something he would ever think to do. It's too slick and subtle. More likely he'd just give Kahoko both of his gloves and stuff his hands in his pockets. Argh…as sweet and gentlemanly as that would be, there's no way she'd consider it as a romantic gesture unless she already consciously liked him and was looking for ways to figure out if he liked her.**

**In the next chapter, Kahoko is going to get grilled (provided things go according to plan). Oh the joys of nosy sisters and nosy friends.**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**


	19. A Chat Between Siblings

**Good morning! A very Merry Christmas Eve! It's funny how things go. In the story, we're right around Christmas time, and in reality we're practically on top of it! Unfortunately, I don't think I'll actually get to Christmas day in the story by the time Christmas day actually rolls around, but I think I can manage to crank out some Kazuki x Kaho just in time.**

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for those who have reviewed this story! And thanks to those who've added it to their favorites list. Both of these things make me so happy! (^_^) I'm sorry to those who were irked by what happened in the previous chapter, but never fear, we're returning to the main couple of the story starting…now!**

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"I'm home!" Kahoko called out as she took off her shoes.

"Welcome home, Kaho," her sister lazily called back from the couch. She nodded to a plate of cookies on the coffee table next to her. "There're cookies."

"Cool. Where'd they come from? How was work?" she asked, grabbing a cookie to munch on.

"One of mom's friends brought them, and work was fine," Noriko replied as she massaged her neck slightly before turning a page of her magazine. As she pretended to read, she surreptitiously watched her sister from over the rim of her magazine. Right as Kahoko put the rest of the cookie in her mouth she pounced. Without lifting her eyes from her magazine she purred, "But do tell me, dear sister, who was the mysterious yet handsome stranger who walked you home today?"

She stifled her laughter as she heard Kahoko almost choke on her cookie. Flicking her eyes up for a second, she let herself momentarily enjoy the priceless look of surprise and discomfort that flashed across her sister's face before training her eyes back on her magazine before Kahoko caught her looking.

Coughing a few times to clear her air passages, Kahoko's mind raced wildly. _She saw us! This is a disaster! What did she see? Did she see…there's no way she'd have seen _that _right? Stay cool, Kaho. She's probably just trying to get you flustered so you'll incriminate yourself. Stay cool. Stay cool!_

Schooling her face into a more neutral expression, she looked over at her sister and asked innocently, "Do you mean Tsukimori-kun?"

"_Oh?_ Is that his name?" Noriko lifted her eyes from the article with a smug look that made her sister squirm. "You two looked rather _cozy_, didn't you, _holding hands_ in his coat pocket."

Kahoko grimaced. That was the one thing that she had hoped her sister hadn't seen. Desperate to save the situation, she started to explain, not realizing that she was falling right into her sister's trap. "It-it's not like that Sis," she started off nervously. "Our hands got cold…and…and he was nice enough to share one of his coat pockets…"

"Oh~?" she asked with an amused smile. "And are you going to tell me that your hands didn't touch in his coat pocket?"

"Uh, well, umm…" she stalled for time, trying to gather her wits. How did the conversation get to this point?

Noriko leaned a little further into the couch before goading, "And that when they did touch, you felt absolutely _nothing_?"

Her face blushed an even deeper shade of dull red. _No, as much as I'd like to, I can't deny that!_

"Err…Umm…well…uh…" Kahoko stumbled around for words, begging for them to come to her.

Noriko chuckled as she watched her sister babble mindlessly for a few moments before sighing and turning serious. She had had her fun, now it was time to get down to business. "Hey, Kaho."

Kahoko started and looked up in surprise at her sister's suddenly serious tone and face, all embarrassment forgotten.

Noriko laid down her magazine on the table and neatly folded her hands in her lap. Kahoko felt herself straighten up slightly when their eyes met. She felt like her sister had something important to say. "Do you like this Tsukimori guy?"

Or maybe she didn't. *BLUSH* Her blush came back in full force. "EH? ! ? !" she yelled with wide eyes. "Wh-why are you suddenly asking me that? !"

"Because it's kind of sleazy, cozying up to two different guys," she stated flatly.

"Huh? ?" Now in addition to being mortified, she was confused. When had she ever done something like that? "What are you talking about? ! ? ! ? ?"

Noriko gave her a look that said, "You've got to be kidding me. Even _this _I have to explain to you?" She sighed before fixing her with that same serious gaze. "I'm talking about Hihara-kun."

Kahoko blinked in confusion. "Hihara-senpai?" She forgot some of her embarrassment as she racked her brain trying to figure out what her sister meant. Coming up with nothing, she asked, "What's he got to do with anything?"

"You seemed very comfortable and familiar with him when he was over here."

Kahoko's eyes widened as her mouth formed a small o. _I guess, I have been kind of familiar with Hihara-senpai recently when he's been over…He's just so easy to get along with...I feel like I can relax around him. He makes having fun so easy. We're pretty similar so I guess we just kind of naturally fall into that pattern. But…that's not really _cozying_…_

"Maybe I have been kind of familiar with him," she admitted. "But we're just friends…aren't you supposed to be comfortable with your friends?" she pointed out.

"Then you like Tsukimori-san romantically?" Noriko countered.

"I didn't say that!" Kahoko exclaimed in embarrassment, but she couldn't help but feel slightly frustrated and irritated.

_Hasn't she tortured me enough? There's no rule anywhere that says that if your male friend walks you home it means that you like him, right? Why is she so unreasonable?_ She glared back in irritation.

Noriko finally broke their eye lock and reached over for a cookie. "Either way, you should think about which one you like, because it's not fair to the other one."

Kahoko blinked in surprise, and furrowed her brow in thought. _Which one I like? I don't like either of them like that…right?_

*flashback*

"…being embarrassed isn't the same thing as liking someone, right?"… "If it's only embarrassment, then it's not love."

*end flashback*

Feeling reassured by her memories, she told her sister confidently, "I don't like either of them like that, so there's nothing to figure out."

"Say _what_? ?" The stupidity of her sister's words caused her to drop her cookie back on the plate.

The incredulous look on Noriko's face made Kahoko's confidence in what she had just said deteriorate quickly.

"I-I mean, there are times where I get really embarrassed around them because we find ourselves in embarrassing situations, like the whole pocket thing just now, but that's not the same thing as liking someone," she quickly explained, scrambling to justify her statement to both of them.

Noriko's jaw dropped in disbelief. Her sister had to be the densest human being on the face of the planet. "You're joking, right?"

With an uncertain look, she asked in a puzzled, cautious tone, "Why would I be joking?"

Noriko shook her head, threw her hands up in the air as she got up from the couch, and started muttering to herself as she stalked toward the stairs. "Seriously? ! She seriously thinks that? Is there something wrong with her mental wiring? ?"

Kahoko's eyes flashed. "Y'know…I _am_ STANDING RIGHT HERE! !" she shouted in annoyance. People generally don't take kindly to being called stupid.

Noriko looked over at her sister in disgust from the foot of the stairs. "How long are you going to keep denying your feelings?"

The question pierced Kahoko like an arrow. Her mouth dropped open slightly.

"Yes, what you said is true," Noriko continued. "If all you are is embarrassed, then don't think about it. But if you find yourself enjoying someone's company more than any other person's, or find that his touch makes your heart leap, or find your heart racing or your face burning for reasons that aren't really embarrassing or stressful, then you _might_ want to think about what _that means_!"

She stomped up the stairs muttering to herself about how clueless Kahoko was, as Kahoko stood stunned in the aftermath of her sister's tirade.

_Sis…What are you trying to say exactly…? Do you really think I might like one of them?_

- ( O . O ) -

Kazuki suddenly shivered.

Haruki looked over at his little brother. "You cold, Kazuki?"

"No, I just got the chills for some reason," he replied, shrugging.

"Maybe some cutie is thinking of you," Haruki teased, flashing him a grin.

*BLUSH* "Cut it out, Haruki!" he cried as he flopped back on his bed.

"It was a joke, kid, don't get so worked up over it," Haruki chuckled. His brother was easier to read than a book. He turned around to return to his basketball magazine.

Kazuki puffed out his cheeks as he stared at the bottom of the top bunk. Maybe a girl is thinking about him? Yeah right. The only girl that he ever wanted never looked at him as anything more than a friend. Feeling slightly miserable, he absently asked, "Hey, Haruki…Have you ever had girl problems?"

"_Girl_ problems?" Haruki asked with a glint in his eye.

The tone in his brother's voice caused him to sit up in consternation. "Ah! Yeah! I mean, if you haven't, it's no big deal, I was just wondering, I guess. Forget I asked! It's nothing, really!" Kazuki panicked.

_**What am I thinking asking him about this? Do I want to ruin my life? ? He'll never let me hear the end of this if I tell him about Kaho-chan! Stupid Kazuki, stupid!**_

"Is this about the redhead I met at the park?"

Kazuki's face turned tomato red. "Wha-wha-what makes you think that? ! ? !" he blurted out.

Haruki shook his head; this guy was completely transparent, but his gut was telling him to cut his brother some slack. He had a feeling that given the right kind of treatment, Kazuki would spill everything.

"Oh, I was just wondering," he reassured. "Why do you want to know if I've ever had girl problems, anyway?"

"Uh…umm…well…err…for…uh…educational purposes," Kazuki managed to get out. "Yeah!" he looked proud of himself for coming up with a great reason, "For educational purposes."

(-_-;) Haruki snorted, thinking, "_He's got to be joking…no one would ever be stupid enough to believe that…_" He shook his head. "_Whatever, let's figure out what's on his mind…I'll let it slide this time._"

"Umm…so… What kind of girl problems?" he asked nonchalantly while turning a page of his magazine. "There are different kinds, after all."

"Oh! I didn't think about that, I guess I should be more specific." Kazuki thought for a few seconds to come up with the best way to phrase his problem, completely oblivious to how easily his brother was playing him. "Umm…Have you ever liked someone who only saw you as a friend?"

"Oooh, that one is hard…" Haruki let the statement hang, prodding his brother into responding.

Kazuki nodded. "I like her so much, but it seems like no matter what, I do, she doesn't seem to realize my feelings. As far as she's aware, I'm just a really nice senpai…"

Haruki looked at his brother and thought, "_The red haired girl from the park was his kouhai, right? It's probably her, but I'll need to get some more information out of him yet._"

"Yeah, I know, these brunettes will drive you crazy," he nudged.

"Redhead…She has red hair…" Kazuki corrected absent-mindedly.

*smirk* He had him now.

He put down his magazine and smiled at his brother. "Well, it's getting close to Christmas; why not get her a gift?"

Kazuki shot up from the bed and pounded his brother on the back in excitement.

"Ow! That kind of hurts Kazuki…" he winced under the hard thumps. When they were younger, Haruki could always beat up his kid brother, but now that they were older, they were more evenly matched, and Kazuki had developed a pretty good arm.

Completely oblivious to his brother's pain, he paced around the room and cheered, "You're a genius! That's the best idea ever! How can I ever thank you? ! ! ! My mission for tomorrow is to find the perfect gift!"

_**If I can give her something really special, maybe my feelings will finally reach her. I can't wait!**_

Haruki was slightly worried about Kazuki, but managed to convince himself that he'd probably be alright. He didn't actually think that a gift would be the key to solving his problem, right?

Starry-eyed with excitement, Kazuki took his brother by surprise and hauled him up by the arm. "Have a good night Haruki! I'm going to get to bed so I can wake up early tomorrow." Shoving him out the door, he called out cheerily, "Bye!"

"Oi!" Haruki called out after he recovered from having been ungraciously kicked out of the room. "Kazuki! That's my room too, y'know! !" he yelled, pounding on the now locked door.

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**Haha, poor Haruki got locked out of his room. I'm not really very good at writing humor, but I thought it was funny.**

**I don't have any older siblings of my own, being the oldest, so I hope I got the character of these two to be believable. I never teased my younger siblings much, I think. There wasn't much to tease them about.**

**It seemed about time for these two oblivious teens to get a bit of a shove in the right direction, so here we are.**

**In the next chapter, we're going shopping! I wonder what Kazuki will find for her? Stay tuned to find out!**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**


	20. Shopping!

**Good afternoon! A very Merry belated Christmas! Christmas day was too hectic for me to manage to get this chapter out in time, but a day or two late isn't bad.**

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for those who have reviewed this story! And thanks to those who've added it to their favorites list! (^_^) Here's that Kazuki x Kaho as promised!**

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"I'm sorry I'm late Amou-san, Fuyuumi-chan!" Kahoko yelled, stopping in front of her friends, panting.

"Don't worry about it, Kaho-senpai…" Shouko quietly assured the out-of-breath girl.

"Well, now that we're all here, let's get this show on the road! It's time to go Christmas shopping~!" Nami cheered before eagerly herding the other two girls into a clothing store.

The girls had fun exploring the different shops; and Nami enjoyed playing dress up with the two girls for their concert clothes. About thirty outfits later, they had all found concert costumes that fit in their respective price ranges, along with some other clothes and Christmas gifts, and had retired to a café for a well deserved lunch break.

"Do you have many more gifts to get?" Nami asked the girls as she polished off her sandwich.

"The only presents I have left are for Tsuchiura-senpai and Shi-Shimizu-kun…" A faint blush crept across Shouko's cheeks.

"Oh? What're you thinking of getting them Fuyuumi-chan?" Kahoko asked brightly as she took a last sip of her tea.

"For Tsuchiura-senpai I was thinking of finding something piano related, but…I…I'm not sure what to get Shimizu-kun," the glassy-green-haired girl confided.

"Hmm…" Kahoko got a thoughtful look on her face as she tried to remember what she had gotten for the blonde-haired youth. "I got him a scarf with a music note pattern and some earmuffs," she mused quietly. Then she laughed. "That boy is always falling asleep everywhere, so I thought I'd get him something warm so he doesn't freeze to death if he falls asleep in the snow!"

Nami chuckled while Shouko looked kind of embarrassed.

"Th-that's such a good idea, Kaho-senpai," she murmured. "I was thinking of buying him some musical scores, but I don't know what he has," she said sadly. "It would be a waste to give him something he already owns."

Nami, with a mischievous glint in her eye suggested offhandedly, "Well if you can't find anything to give him, you could always just bake him some Christmas cookies. I'm sure he'd _love_ to eat your cooking, Fuyuumi-chan."

*BLUSH* "Th-th-there's…There's n-no w-w-way I could p-p-presume t-to do something l-like that! ! !" Shouko stammered in protest.

Kahoko looked at her in surprise. She had never seen the girl like this before, and Shouko was fairly easily distressed. Smiling sympathetically at her friend she chided, "Amou-san, don't tease the poor girl. You've really made her troubled now."

"Yes, yes," Nami responded with a flippant wave of her hand. "My bad," she stated unapologetically. "But really Fuyuumi-chan, what would be wrong with making him cookies?" she pressed. A devious grin crept across her face. She knew exactly what to say to set off her cute little kouhai. "It's not like they're Valentine's Day chocolates after all…"

*BLUSH! !* Shouko looked ready to faint.

"Amou-san, really!" Kahoko grabbed Shouko's hand and stood up. It was time to abandon ship. "Come on Fuyuumi-chan, let's get back to shopping. We'll be sure to find something great that you can buy for Shimizu-kun."

In record time, Kahoko dragged Shouko to the counter to pay for their food and hurried the girl back out to the street. As they charged down the street, Nami ran to catch up.

"Good grief! Wait up you two!" she panted. "You would think that there was a rabid dog chasing after you!"

"The way you were hounding poor Fuyuumi-chan reminds me of one!" Kahoko shot back.

"Ah! Hino-chan! Watch out!" Nami called out as she saw a telltale flash of ice right by Kahoko's foot.

*CRASH* "Oof!"

"Ah! Kaho-senpai! Hihara-senpai! Are you alright?" Shouko stared at her two senpai in dismay, her hands covering her mouth.

Nami also had one of her hands over her mouth, but her eyes shone with glee. What a shot this would be! For there in the middle of the sidewalk, Kahoko and Kazuki lay frozen on the ground in a tangle of arms and legs, their faces just inches away. It was quite similar to the incident that had caused Kazuki to fall for the girl initially, except that their positions were reversed, and Kazuki had unconsciously wrapped one of his arms around Kahoko's back protectively when he had fallen on his arm.

Kahoko's thoughts and heart raced as her brain assessed their predicament. _Hihara-senpai! What is he doing here? ! What am _I_ doing here? ! Why can't I move? What's wrong with you Kaho, you have to get off of him!_ She felt her cheeks warm dangerously as her eyes locked on his. Her heartbeat broke into a wild gallop. _…He's so close, I can feel his breath…Did he always have such nice eyes?_ Her eyes widened at the scandalous thought. Her traitorous face somehow managed to achieve a new level of redness. _What am I thinking? ! Why is my heart racing? ! Oh, what a mess you've dragged poor Hihara-senpai into!_

Kazuki felt like he had gone to heaven as he drowned in her eyes. _**Kaho-chan…she's as soft as I remember…Is it bad for me to wish that this moment would never end? Her eyes are such a beautiful gold. They really stand out when framed by her red hair. She looks and smells like Christmas, absolutely heavenly…and…**_ He loosened his grip on her slightly. _**She looks ready to die of embarrassment…**_

His slight shift of pressure spurred her into action. _I-I-I have to get up!_

"S-sorry, Hihara-senpai!" Kahoko cried, springing up. Unfortunately, as soon as she jumped up, she ran afoul of the patch of ice that had helped cause her previous fall. "Ah!"

"Kaho-chan!" Kazuki yelled, quickly pushing himself off of the ground.

*Splat!* She found herself buried in a pile of wet, dirty slush on the side of the road. Her clothes were soaked!

"Are you alright, Kaho-chan?" Kazuki asked, quickly reaching down to help her up.

"Y-yes, Hi-Hi-Hihara-s-s-senpai." Kahoko chattered as she took his hand. "I-I'm s-s-sorry f-f-for c-c-crashing i-i-into y-y-you."

"It's fine. Let's get you inside where it's warmer. There's a café right over there. Come on." Kazuki quickly dragged her into a nearby café with Nami and Shouko right behind. Seeing that Kahoko was half frozen, the hostess quickly showed them a table and immediately dispatched a girl to get some tea for Kahoko.

"Th-thank you for the t-t-tea, Hihara-s-senpai," Kahoko whispered gratefully. She shivered.

"Hino-chan, why don't you change clothes? You just bought some new outfits after all. Besides, if you stay in those clothes, you'll just catch a cold," Nami suggested.

Shouko nodded in agreement. "Please do, Kaho-senpai…"

"Alright," she bowed to Kazuki, "Excuse us Hihara-senpai, we'll be right back." *shivers*

The girls filed into the bathroom. Kahoko made a beeline for a stall while Shouko unpacked the clothes and Nami coordinated an outfit. As Kahoko was changing, Nami decided to do a little investigating.

"Hihara-senpai seemed pretty worried about you, Hino-chan. Wasn't that sweet of him?"

Shouko shot Nami a look of trepidation, fearing what was going to be unleashed on her poor senpai.

"I guess so…Hihara-senpai is probably one of the nicest people I know," Kahoko replied, not really thinking about it.

Nami shook her head. She was denser than lead. Unfortunately, just as she was going to continue the conversation, Kahoko came out of the stall.

With a slight blush, she asked, "Do I look alright?"

Nami grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Y-you look very nice, Kaho-senpai," Shouko responded with a smile, and she did. Kahoko wore a long, white knit sweater over a fluffy white mini skirt paired with a black and white checked scarf. Over the sweater she wore a navy pea coat that went a little past the skirt, and light brown, knee-high, suede boots with small, 2-inch heels to finish off the ensemble. "I think Hihara-senpai will like your outfit too…" she continued.

*Blush* "Uh…thank you, Fuyuumi-chan…" Kahoko replied, a tad awkwardly.

"Now let's go see the man of the hour," Nami winked at Kahoko and pushed her out the door, with Shouko following behind carrying the bags of clothes.

"Hihara-senpai!" Nami called, waving to get his attention.

Turning with a smile at the sound of her voice, he felt his greeting die on his lips at the sight of Kahoko. The outfit was _very_ flattering on the already pretty girl. The navy pea coat both accentuated her figure and brought out the gold in her eyes; the white of the sweater and skirt seemed to make her skin glow; and the boots gave her a playful, slightly more mature air. Closing his mouth which he had unconsciously left agape, he contented himself with feasting his eyes on the vision in front of him.

Nami and Shouko grinned at his stunned appearance. Even Kahoko could tell that there was something different in his eyes as he admired her.

_Why is he looking at me like that? It makes me so nervous. I can feel my face heating up. My heart is pounding so loudly, the whole world must be able to hear it!_

_**She looks radiant…Kaho-chan has always been beautiful, but right now it's like she's glowing. I feel like I've gone to heaven and met an angel…**_

Kazuki gave her a tender smile full of joy and admiration.

_His smile…I feel my knees going weak…Why do I suddenly feel shy? Hihara-senpai has smiled at me thousands of times before, so why is it having this strange effect on me?_

They both averted their eyes and blushed, while Nami and Shouko watched the pair knowingly.

"Ah, umm, y-you look really nice…Kaho-chan," Kazuki mumbled shyly, looking at her surreptitiously.

Kahoko felt herself blush an even darker red at his honest admiration. "Thank you…Hihara-senpai."

As they shyly gazed at one another, Nami and Shouko sat down. Seeming to remember himself, Kazuki turned to the other two girls.

"Would you two like some cake or anything? It's my treat." He gave them a friendly smile. "Thank you for helping Kaho-chan warm up."

Kahoko shook her head emphatically as she sat down at the table. "You don't have to pay for them, Hihara-senpai. If anyone should be paying for their food, it's me." She looked embarrassedly down at the table. "After all, I got myself into that mess and almost pulled Fuyuumi-chan along for the ride."

"No," Kazuki stated as he vigorously shook his head, "I should have been paying attention where I was going, so please, let me treat."

She looked right at him, touching her hand to her chest. "I plowed straight into you. There was no way you could have prevented my mistake, so please let me-"

"Ok, you two, cut it out!" Nami scolded, cutting Kahoko off. If she left it to them, they'd play who's going to take the blame all day. Turning to Kazuki, she diplomatically said, "Since you offered first, Hihara-senpai, we'd be happy to accept your gracious offer." With a grin she added, "Now let's see that menu!"

Holding up her hands in surrender, Kahoko sipped her tea and smiled as her friends decided, ordered, and happily chatted while waiting for their desserts. When the waitress came back, she was surprised to see a delicious-looking strawberry shortcake and a cup of hot chocolate placed before her. She looked questioningly at the waitress.

The girl smiled at her and nodded toward Kazuki. "I guess he thought you might like some cake after everything you've been through today."

He smiled a bit bashfully at being outed before smiling and adding with a wink, "And I ordered something that would match with it."

Smiling her thanks, she lost no time in digging into the luscious-looking cake before her and letting the delectable flavor spread across her tongue. When she took a sip of the hot chocolate though, she paused for a few seconds, staring at it with wide eyes. _This taste, it's…!_ She looked questioningly at Kazuki who nodded with a grin. She smiled happily. _It tastes slightly bitter. I guess Hihara-senpai remembered how I had adjusted the hot chocolate that night and decided to do the same for me._ She smiled softly at the cup before taking another, long sip. _I don't really know why, but that makes me really happy._

Nami and Shouko glanced at each other, having noticed the special look their two companions shared. At Nami's silent urging, Shouko got up enough courage to break the moment. Clearing her throat, she asked a bit nervously, "Umm…Kaho-senpai…does your hot chocolate, uh, taste good?"

"Huh?" she responded distractedly, breaking out of her reverie. "Oh," her eyes focused again. "Yes, it does," she replied with a frank smile.

"You look like you're really enjoying it. Can I have a sip, Hino-chan?" Nami, asked with a gleam in her eye. Now that Shouko had made the opportunity, she was determined to find out what had caused that look.

Kahoko was about to refuse when she stopped herself in confusion. Why did she not want to share the hot chocolate he had given her? Deciding that it would be best to just give into her request, she shrugged and said, "Umm…sure. Have some, Amou-san," while passing the cup over to Nami.

"Thank you!" The brown-haired girl almost shook in anticipation as she brought the cup up to her lips. She couldn't wait to see what juicy secret this little cup of hot chocolate held. When she did take a sip, she almost dropped it. "What? Why's it bitter?"

Shouko looked at Nami in surprise. _It's bitter? Mine is sweet._

Noticing Shouko's confusion, Nami furrowed her brow slightly before pointing to Shouko's cup of hot chocolate and asking, "Could I have some of your hot chocolate too, Fuyuumi-chan?"

"Of course, Amou-senpai, help yourself," the girl handed her the cup which Nami acknowledged with a nod.

Nami took a sip and nodded almost imperceptibly to herself. Kahoko's hot chocolate was definitely bitter.

Schooling her face into a more neutral expression, she prepared to cajole information out of her green-haired senpai. "I didn't know there was bitter hot chocolate on the menu, Hihara-senpai," she said with a casually interested air.

"Oh, there isn't," he answered without thinking. He had been too busy rejoicing that Kahoko had enjoyed her hot chocolate to realize that Nami was on the prowl. "I asked them to make it that way."

"_Oh?_" Nami asked, her ears pricking up. Now this was interesting. "Why?"

Kazuki's face suddenly turned red, realizing that he had just landed himself in hot water. "Uh, why? Err…umm…well…you see…" How was he going to get out of this one? ? ?

"It's a secret."

Everyone turned to look at Kahoko in surprise. She herself looked surprised at the words that had flown unconsciously out of her mouth. But when she looked at Kazuki, she nodded and said again, half to herself, "Yes…it's a secret…"

Kazuki let out a sigh of relief, glad that the subject had been closed. After sending Kahoko a grateful look, he turned to Shouko and asked her about her preparations for the clinic.

While the others started talking music, Nami pouted. Eventually she too joined the conversation, but in the back of her head, she started scheming. There was something going on between those two, and if anyone was going to figure out what it was, it was going to be Nami Amou.

* * *

**Uh, oh! Nami Amou is on the case! The shopping trip was a bit different than I thought it would be, but it's nice for the two of them to be together. (^_^)**

**I thought it was sweet of Kazuki to return the hot chocolate gesture. As the saying goes, "It's the small things." I think that Kazuki showing that he remembered her small change to their hot chocolate back then went a long way. I know I'm always touched when someone remembers some small thing for me. It shows an attention to detail that comes from caring for another person.**

**The outfit that Kahoko changes into is from the winter edition of a Japanese fashion magazine. A picture of it can be seen here: tomatobaby...lovelyish...com/717580319/new-items-japanese-winter-fashion/. It should say, "Dec 4," in the top-left-hand corner of the picture.**

**One reviewer asked me if Noriko is actually Kahoko's sister's name, and I thought the answer would be beneficial for everyone to see. The short answer is that Noriko is a name that I made up. In the anime, the sister is never given a name.**

**Since Kazuki's older brother's name is Haruki, I thought I'd do something similar with Kahoko and her sister and choose a name that has the same last character ("ko" = child). So I played around with different Japanese girls' names that end with "ko" (there are a ton!) and finally decided that I liked Noriko. Japanese people don't call their older siblings by their names, so in some ways, it didn't matter that much what her name was. In Japanese, Kaho would always call her sister, "Nee-chan (older sister)," or, "Onee-chan (a more polite version of the same),"which is why she always calls Noriko, "Sis," in this story. If she had multiple older sisters, then you'd start having some of the name show up, so for example, if she had two older sisters, Noriko and Emiko, then she'd call them, "Noriko-nee-chan," or just, "Noriko-nee," and the same with Emiko or Emi if she decided to abbreviate the name a bit.**

**Kazuki calls Haruki, "Aniki (older brother)," in the anime, which is a more familiar, masculine term than "Onii-chan/nii-chan (also older brother)." Kahoko would call her brother, "Onii-chan/nii-chan," because she's a girl. In this story, I've been having Kazuki call Haruki by his given name mostly because having him call Haruki, "Bro," which would be more accurate, just reads strangely to me. No one that I know actually calls their older brothers, "Bro." I have heard people refer to their older sisters as, "Sis," before, so I kept that in.**

**While I could just have Kazuki call Haruki, "Aniki," in the story, I thought it would be better for the flow of the story to just keep it strictly English in a sense. Although I understand Japanese, I find that in stories written in English, it's a little distracting for there to be random Japanese littered throughout the text; and if I find it distracting when I understand exactly what they're saying, then I figure it's probably even more distracting for people who aren't familiar with the language. I do keep honorifics though just because they become integral to people's names and if you take the time to know the basics, (-san, -chan, -kun, -senpai, and no honorific) then you learn a lot about the relationships between people.**

**Phew! That was a lot! I hope it was instructive for anyone interested in the language!**

**In the next chapter, I'm thinking I'll go a bit more Kazuki-centric. Maybe he'll manage to get some shopping done this time!**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**


	21. The Perfect Gift

**Good afternoon! This is what I was hoping to get out by Christmas, but it didn't quite happen. Now we'll find out what Kazuki got for Kahoko for Christmas.**

**Many thanks to those who have reviewed this story! And thanks to those who've added it to their favorites list too! (^_^)**

* * *

*sigh* Kahoko closed the door in exhaustion. _In the end, Fuyuumi-chan couldn't find a gift for Shimizu-kun, and although having Hihara-senpai there was a lot of fun and he was really useful for helping me pick out gifts for the other boys, I couldn't really shop for him with him right there! Oh well, something will get figured out…_ Her eyes focused on the stairs. _Now to work on that report._

It had been a long day.

- (— o —) -

"Kaho" *poke, poke* "Kaho, wake up…!" Nao whispered while poking her urgently in the back. "Kaho, wake up!" she hissed more insistently.

"Huh…? ?" the girl replied groggily.

"Hino-san?" their Japanese Literature teacher called out.

"Ah, yes!" Kahoko immediately sat up, at attention.

"Please read page 52."

"Y-yes, ma'am!" she responded with a quick nod. "Thanks, Nao!" she fervently muttered under her breath as she stood up.

"No problem," Nao whispered back.

_Man, that was close!_

Despite her exhaustion, after that close call, Kahoko had somehow managed to get through the rest of the day without falling asleep.

"Kaho-chan, are you alright?" Mio's eyes shone with concern as she looked at her friend who had her head on her desk.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit tired, Mio," Kahoko responded, as she opened her eyes, mentally preparing herself to leave her comfortable enough pillow.

"Tired? Why?" Nao asked, with a furrowed brow.

"I was up late working on that report we've got due in History on Thursday."

"You're still not done with that? I finished it last Friday."

"And I finished mine last night," Mio added.

"Alright, alright you don't have to rub it in you overachievers," Kahoko grumbled, picking up her bag and getting up from her chair. "Well, I'm going to go practice for a bit since the concert is on Saturday. I'll see you later." Kahoko tiredly waved good bye.

- (=_=) -

_**Well, here I am trying to find her a gift again.**_ *sigh* _**I'm not really good at shopping, and this gift seems even harder to find because it's special…Although,**_ he smiled remembering, _**I'm glad I got to spend the rest of the afternoon with her, even if I wasn't able to buy a gift for her. It was nice of all of them to help me find gifts for everyone else.**_

Kazuki walked around from store to store, until he was ready to give up. As he looked up, he realized that he had no idea where he was.

_**Ack! Where am I? Good going, Kazuki! You can't even pay attention to where you're going. How are you ever going to find your way back? Ugh…**_

Mentally scolding himself, he took a better look at his surroundings. He seemed to have stumbled upon an alley of small shops. Since he was lost anyway, he meandered around the shops, glancing disinterestedly from shop window to shop window until his eyes alighted on a particular sign. Struck with inspiration, he rushed inside the shop.

*Ding-a-ling*

"Welcome! How may I help you?" an older man with kind eyes greeted him.

"Ah…" He looked around the store before continuing, "I, umm, I was wondering…your sign says that you make custom music boxes here?"

"That's right."

"May, may I see your song selection please? ?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course," the man smiled as he pulled out a large book from under the counter, "Here is the catalog."

Kazuki pored over the catalog, praying that it would be there.

Page after page he turned, thinking over and over, _**Gossec's "Gavotte in D," Gossec's "Gavotte in D," oh please let Gossec's "Gavotte in D"**__** be there!**_ His eyes paused on a familiar set of text, a smile spreading over his face. _**There it is! Score! ! ! !**_

"This song here! C-can I make a music box using this song please? ?" Kazuki asked, with barely contained excitement.

"Yes, of course." The man looked something up on a sheet. "You're in luck. We only have one more of those in stock." He smiled at the young man. "You were very fortunate to find us today."

"Really? !" Kazuki couldn't believe it. "That's great! Thank you so much! !"

The man nodded and gestured to the rest of the store. "Please look around the store and see if you can find a box you like. Then bring it to the counter and I'll ring it up for you." He paused and thought for a minute before adding, "Oh, and just so you know, the price on the music box includes the song." The man laughed, "I get that question a lot."

"Yes, thank you!"

Kazuki wandered around the store looking and looking. He went from box to box, examining every aspect possible, in search of the perfect one. But finding the perfect box was proving harder than he had hoped. While some of the music boxes were exquisite, they were far outside of his budget; and others that were within his budget just didn't seem right. After walking around the store over and over, he sheepishly went back to the counter empty-handed.

"Having trouble, I see," the man stated sympathetically.

"Yes…well…" He scratched his head a bit in embarrassment. "I kind of need to work within a budget, and I want this gift to be…perfect."

"Is this for your girlfriend?" the man asked with a smile.

Kazuki blushed. "N-No…just a good friend of mine…"

"Hmm…I see…" The man looked on the boy with a twinkle in his eye. There was no doubt in his mind that the boy had the look of love about him. "Well, let me see if I've got any old, extra stock in the back."

The man went back and forth between the storeroom and the counter multiple times unveiling lovely music boxes, but each time, Kazuki sadly shook his head. Around the fifth or sixth box, he was starting to get embarrassed for causing the poor man so much trouble. As the man turned to go back to the storeroom again, he burst out, "I-it's fine. I-I'll just make do with one of the music boxes on the floor." He looked down at the counter ashamed at how much he had already taken advantage of the storekeeper's kindness. "You don't have to go through so much trouble for me, sir…"

"Nonsense," the crisp answer made Kazuki look up in surprise. "You wouldn't be happy with giving her any less than the best you can offer. That's how love is." The man smiled kindly at Kazuki before walking through the storeroom door.

*BLUSH* Kazuki looked at the floor in embarrassment. _**Even strangers can tell how I feel about her? Just how obvious am I?**_

"Ah! I had almost forgotten that I had this one," the storekeeper said as he walked back with another box. He dusted the outer box off a bit before starting to unpack it. "It's been on the shelf gathering dust for so long. It's really quite pretty. It's a wonder that it didn't sell even though I had put it on clearance earlier this year." He lifted the music box from its packaging. "If she likes the violin, I'm sure she'll like this one." The man's voice cut through his thoughts.

_**If she likes…the violin…?**_ Kazuki quickly looked up, his eyes widening. It was perfect. He could feel his heart ache as he gazed at the music box. It had been made for her. Forget the budget; he would get that box for her no matter how much it cost.

The man smiled in satisfaction. Kazuki's expression was enough to tell him that this was his choice. He carefully picked up the box and wrapping and headed toward his workroom. "I'll put that together and wrap it up for you right now. I should be done within a half hour."

"Th-Thank you, sir!" Kazuki bowed deeply, showing his gratitude.

After the music box was done, the man handed Kazuki the finished product. "Try it out," he urged.

Kazuki lifted the lid, releasing the lively tune of Gossec's _Gavotte in D_.

The man smiled as Kazuki closed his eyes and smiled, listening to the song. "I hope she'll like it."

Kazuki picked up the music box and watched the snow whirl around in the snow globe as the little figurine turned. "I think she will. Thank you so much," he whispered reverently.

* * *

**Yay! He found a present! I'm so glad. (^_^)**

**The music box is something I made up out of my head, so unfortunately I can't provide a picture, but I do intend to give a better description when Kahoko receives her gift. I thought that since Kazuki helped Kahoko fix the music box she got from her friends, it might be a nice gift for him to give to her.**

**I promise that the seemingly-random bits about Kahoko at the beginning chapter will become relevant soon. I just kind of wanted this chapter to be about Kazuki for a change.**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**


	22. Computer Failure

**Good very early morning! Here's the next chapter. I've been going through the most ridiculous dry spell ever, and haven't been able to write much of anything. I feel like I've been away for so long, but it's really only been about 2 and a half weeks! (-_-; ) I guess that was because I felt frustrated about not being able to write anything.**

**Many thanks to those who have reviewed this story! And thanks to those who've added it to their favorites list too! (^_^) Happy New Year! **

* * *

*sigh* _Almost done. Just a few more sentences and I'm finished._ Kahoko closed her eyes for a minute and rubbed her temples slowly. As always, staring at a computer screen for long periods of time gave her a headache.

*Ding dong*

She opened her eyes and turned to frown slightly at her closed bedroom door. _I wonder who's at the door so late…_ She shook her head. _Focus, Kahoko, focus! You're almost there, just a little bit more to go…_

She moved to start typing when her computer screen suddenly went black. She stared at it in shock, her fingers poised over the keys.

- ヾ(ﾟДﾟ ) -

_**What am I doing here?**_ He asked himself. _**I can just give her her present after the concert. She'd still be able to open it Christmas day.**_ With a slight frown he countered, _**but knowing me, I'm likely to get all flustered and not give it to her if I have to give it to her in front of everyone else, so this is the best solution, right?**_ Kazuki groaned and clutched his head just as the door opened.

"Hihara-san!" Kahoko's mother's face broke into a smile. "What a pleasant surprise! Won't you come in?"

"Ah, thank you, Hino-san," he responded with a blush at being caught in such an embarrassing position, "But I should be going. I just wanted to drop something off for Kaho-chan." Kazuki smiled embarrassedly at her.

"Why, thank you," she felt her fondness for the green-haired boy grow at his thoughtfulness toward her daughter. "I'll call her down so you can give it to her in person."

"Who's at the door, Dear?" Kahoko's father asked as he poked his head from around the corner. When he saw Kazuki, his smile widened. "Oh, Hihara-kun. It's nice to see you again." He chuckled. "Did my wife call you to play the trumpet for me again?" he asked jokingly. Then he noticed the parcel Kazuki was carrying. "Is that a gift for Kahoko?" he felt a sly smile creep on his face. Oh the joys of young love. He supposed he ought to be more protective of his little Kahoko, but he had to admit that he liked the boy, and there hadn't been any talk of a relationship…yet.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !" a shriek pierced the air.

"KAHO-CHAN? !" Kazuki flew up the stairs with Kahoko's parents right behind him, the present left behind, forgotten on the shoe cabinet in the entranceway.

When he banged open her door, he found Kahoko sprawled on the floor with her hands covering her face moaning, "No! No! No! No! No! Why is this happening to me? ? ? Why? Why? ! WHY! ? ! ? ? ?"

"Kahoko? What is the matter?" Kahoko's mother rushed over to her daughter, pulling her hands away from her face.

"M-my paper!" she wailed. "It's due on Thursday and, and, my computer just _died_! ! !" She covered her face in misery. "How will I _ever_ be able to finish it now? ! ?"

"I'll help you!" Kazuki yelled, surprising everyone. His face turned redder and redder as they stared at him with wide, doe-eyed expressions on their faces. "I-I type really quickly, so I'll type it for you as you dictate your report to me," he explained. "You still have your notes, right?" he added as he realized that he had no idea what kind of paper it was.

Kahoko nodded slowly, as if in a daze. "Y-yes, those I thankfully took on paper."

"Then why don't you come over to my house and we'll work on it there. We'll use my computer," he offered. Suddenly remembering himself, he hurriedly turned to Kahoko's father and added nervously, "That is, if it's alright with you, sir!"

Kahoko's father looked at his wife questioningly. He liked and trusted him, but this was a bit of a fine line. She hesitated for a second, glanced at Kazuki, and nodded. She felt that they could trust the boy. He turned to his daughter and ordered, "Kahoko, pack a bag for the next couple of nights. It'll be easier for you to finish your paper if you stay there." He justified his statement by adding, "It's closer to school, and his computer is there."

With her mother pushing her into action, the dazed girl began packing. The men went back downstairs as Kazuki texted his brother about the recent developments. When Kahoko was ready, her father drove them to Kazuki's house, and after he and Kahoko thanked Kazuki's parents for their hospitality, especially on such short notice, he drove away. Kahoko quickly greeted Kazuki's parents before being dragged up the stairs to start reconstructing her paper. When they entered the room, Haruki looked up from his textbook.

"It's nice to see you again, Hino-san." He flashed her a sympathetic look. "It's too bad it's under these circumstances though…"

"It's nice to see you too, Haruki-san." She smiled wanly at him before bowing and adding, "I apologize for any inconvenience I'll be causing you for the next couple of days."

He closed his textbook and gave her a reassuring smile. "It's fine Hino-san. I hope you finish your paper on time." He walked out with his textbook and a pillow.

"Alright Kaho-chan," Kazuki opened up a new file on his laptop, "Let's get started."

The two worked on it non-stop, only taking a break for classes. They even ate while working. Finally, at 3am the morning it was due, it was done, fully printed and in her school bag.

"It's finally finished…" Kahoko said in wonder before they both collapsed on the floor, completely exhausted.

The next morning, when Haruki came up to check on them, he found a sweet picture. The two of them lay side by side, spent from their labors, with Kahoko's back to Kazuki. They lay not quite touching each other except for where Kazuki's arm was draped around her. His face was nestled partially in her hair, framing the peaceful expression on his face. Haruki grinned to himself. They looked so cute together. He suddenly remembered the encounter he had had with Kahoko's sister Noriko the previous day when she had stopped by to check in on Kahoko.

*flashback*

Noriko's eyes flashed in determination. "If you ever catch them having any cute moments, get documentation and let me know." She gave him a wolfish grin. "It looks like we're going to need to give them some help if we want our painfully naïve siblings to find love."

*end flashback*

An evil smile swept across Haruki's face. He quickly swiped his camera off of the dresser and crept closer to them to line up the perfect angle. He winced when the camera shutter clicked, the noise sounding almost deafening in the still quiet of the room. When Kahoko started to stir, he felt panic rising up in his stomach. Just as he made to hide the camera, but he stopped, his eyes widening at what unfolded before his eyes. He couldn't believe his luck! Instead of waking up, she rolled over to face Kazuki and snuggled a little closer before letting out a soft sigh of contentment. Now it looked like they were embracing. He couldn't have posed them any more perfectly. With an evil glint in his eye, he raised the camera and focused it. This was going to be _priceless_.

-（￣ー￣）-

Kazuki moved his head. _**Such a sweet smell, I wonder what it is…**_ He nuzzled his face deeper into the sweet-smelling softness before slowly opening his eyes. He found himself seeing red. _**Mmmm…huh? Red?**_ He pulled back a little more and saw Kahoko's face as her head rested peacefully near his shoulder.

*BLUSH* _**K-K-Kaho-chan? !**_ He looked down and saw that she had slept nestled in his arms. Panicking, he quickly rolled away from her and sat up. He raked his fingers through his hair, disoriented. _**Wha-what just happened? H-h-have we been sleeping like that th-this whole t-t-time? ? ?**_ For a few seconds he had difficulty breathing, but when he looked at Kaho-chan, he felt a tenderness sweep over him that erased his previous consternation and embarrassment. He looked at her quietly and started to reach for her. _**She looks so beautiful and peaceful…**_ Just as he was about to caress her cherry locks, she suddenly stirred. All embarrassment remembered, Kazuki bolted to the bathroom before she saw him.

Kahoko blinked open her eyes and looked around the room. _Where am I?_ She yawned and rubbed her eyes. _Oh, right, Hihara-senpai was helping me out with my paper. I must have fallen asleep on the floor._ She stretched out her legs a little bit. _What time is it?_ Her eyes foggily looked at the clock. It read 7:45AM. She leapt up, filled with the alertness only panic can bring. _7:45? ! I'm late!_

She barreled into the bathroom, just barely missing Kazuki who was headed out. Quickly apologizing, she dashed in and got ready for school. They both hurried down, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and ran out the door.

"I made it!" Kahoko cried as she staggered into her seat as the tardy bell rang.

* * *

**Sorry it's not that good! But at least she finished her paper. (^^; ) Since they were actually doing work, I figured I'd skip the actual writing bit.**

**This chapter was inspired by a scene from a story called "Durch Leiden Freude" by Kaho Yukimura. It's kind of like the actual anime in the sense that it's a story of Kahoko's interactions with all of the guys, except that I think Ryoutaro was replaced with Aoi Kaji as far as people competing for her heart goes. Ryoutaro and Keiichi were just friends of Kahoko's, I believe. In that one, I think Kahoko's computer got stolen and *gasp* Azuma is the one who catches them snuggling on Kazuki's bed.**

**I think the next chapter will be the exhibition and the concert or maybe just the exhibition. We'll see. It will probably be more music based than anything.**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)/~**


	23. The Exhibition

**Hello! It's been a super long time, for which, I apologize! I'd love to be able to promise that I'll be getting chapters out more quickly in the future, but since life is life, I'm not sure I can, so I won't make promises I can't keep. I will promise that this story will be finished someday, somehow, even if it looks like it's been abandoned. (^^;)**

* * *

Finally the day of the exhibition had arrived.

Sumire and Kahoko exited the white limousine and quickly ran to the meeting room. "Sorry we're late!" They both yelled as they burst through the doors and into the room.

"Geez, I was just about to have Yunoki call you two," Hiroto muttered, rubbing his temples slightly before raising a fist to his mouth and clearing his throat. "Well, now that you're here," he turned and nodded toward Shinobu Ousaki as the girls scuttled into the room and took their seats at the nearest table, "As my assistant, Ousaki'll explain how this thing will work."

"Thank you, Kanazawa-sensei," Shinobu smiled. "The clinic will be in two main parts. The first will be sort of a mini-concert. All of you will perform the song you will be teaching the children. The parents will then take the children to go sign up for your classes. Since the objective of this clinic is to actually teach people at least part of your song, all of you will be conducting classes at the same time in different locations. They'll be given an instrument and directed to your classroom. From there, you'll have them for the rest of the afternoon." He looked at Len and Kahoko. "As I'm sure you two have figured out, you'll be doing a beginning violin and a slightly more advanced violin class. Since Tsukimori has been playing violin for longer, he will take the beginning class so he can help with posture and bowing technique. Hino-san's class will focus more on actual playing."

Hiroto sat slightly on the desk behind him and drawled lazily, "I think that about covers everything." Waving a piece of paper in the air a couple of times, he added, "Your room assignments are on this sheet over here." When his eyes alighted on Ryoutaro, he seemed to remember himself. "Oh, right, Hino, Tsuchiura, and Hihara. You three are to go with Ousaki. The rest of you get set up in your rooms and practice or whatever. That's all I've got." With a smirk, he teased, "Enjoy playing with the kiddies."

Shinobu looked over at the three aforementioned participants and smiled. "Are you ready to start advertizing?"

- (^o^) -

People stopped as the opening notes of Scott Joplin's _The Entertainer_ resounded throughout the quad (youtube...com/watch?v=8zoC_BQSKJs). A large crowd started to gather, drawn by Ryoutaro's cheerful, carefree sound. Getting into the playful spirit Ryoutaro had set, Kazuki did a theatrical spin and joined in, his trumpet cheerfully ringing out into the crisp, winter air. The two played and played, really getting into their roles as entertainers. Then with a dramatic flourish, the song came to a close.

After the applause had died down, Kazuki and Kahoko continued with Gossec's _Gavotte in D_ (youtube…com/watch?v=W5a7AH5eg8o), the sweet notes ringing out in unison. The siren song called even more people to the already impressive crowd. The lively tune seemed to dance along with the snowflakes, bringing smiles of delight to people's faces. When the last notes faded away, Shinobu stepped out and addressed the crowd.

"Thank you for your attention! We will be holding a clinic this afternoon for children ages 12 and under. The clinic will be preceded by a concert which will feature the songs and instruments that will be taught. We will begin the concert in the auditorium in about 15 minutes. Unlike the clinic, the concert is open to all." The four of them bowed and called out in unison, "We hope to see you there."

- ( O . O )! ! ! -

The clinic was a smashing success. After hearing the wonderful, yet simple music showcased in the concert, many children came to learn more about the wonders of music. It was a lot of work, but everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly and managed to teach every child at least part of their assigned song.

But as always when one works with children, there were some, shall we say, interesting times over the course of the afternoon.

The first incident was when Len snapped a bit too harshly at a little girl for whispering to her friend about something instead of paying attention. He was so frightening, that she promptly started crying. In that moment, he lost all composure and was quite at a loss for what to do. Cold he may be, but even he knew better than to make a little girl cry! Luckily, Megumi was able to come to the rescue and by the end of the class the little girl had become quite taken with the violin and her blue-haired violin teacher.

In Ryoutaro's class, he and Manami walked around to help the students as they practiced and tinkered around. All was well until one girl, who thought Ryoutaro to be quite handsome, needed a little extra help with her playing. At this, another boy in the class, a childhood friend of hers, began to tease her mercilessly for "making googly eyes" at their teacher. This of course, sparked a hot denial on her part and an accusation that he was jealous, which in turn caused him to heatedly defend. The whispered argument soon escalated into a full-on shouting match complete with name-calling. The two were separated, scolded and lectured, and reunited with sincere apologies all around. After everyone had calmed down after all the excitement, they managed to make quick progress as everyone happily played on their keyboards.

Alas, not even the young and innocent girls in Azuma's class could escape being enthralled by their purple-haired instructor. As a result, it took quite some time before he could even get the class off the ground. Somehow though, he managed to get them on track and soon many of the children became more enchanted with the beauty of the flute's ethereal sound than their handsome, charismatic teacher.

While the children in Keiichi's class were generally very well-behaved, in the presence of such a sleepy, zoned out instructor, one can't help but get antsy. And since he didn't seem notice or mind their little escapades while he talked, the classroom quickly deteriorated into disarray. However, from the first bar of the cello's deep, soothing strains, the children ceased their activities and gathered around, listening quietly. From there the class progressed without a hitch. Everyone wanted to learn how to coax the same sweet sounds that had captured their hearts out of the polished wooden instrument that was as tall as, if not taller than them.

Things in Shouko's class were similar to Keiichi's class. A couple of mischievous boys could practically smell Shouko's timidity and took full advantage of it. As the boys caused more and more havoc, she felt herself becoming more and more anxious until she finally snapped. Clutching her clarinet, she did something she only did when she was really frustrated: she loudly blew a triple high C. When the piercing, shrieking note had ended, the class faced her with expressions that mirrored those of a deer staring into headlights. With a beet-red face, she tersely ordered Andou-san, "Please play, _Flight of the Bumblebee_." He looked a bit startled, but complied (www...youtube...com/watch?v=9CkK-LM6Oe0). By the end of the performance, all of the children stared at their glass-green-haired teacher, mouths agape in complete awe. From there, the class progressed quickly and Shouko was able to relax. As the two troublemakers left at the end of the afternoon, they apologized for their behavior and voiced their hopes that someday they'd be able to be as cool as she was and be able to play that fast.

Kazuki's class had the only real physical injury. A student had not fixed in his mute properly in his trumpet, and when he swung his trumpet in enthusiasm, it had flown out and conked another student in the head. Thankfully, the boy was alright, but it had been a rather confusing and frightening ten seconds. Being resilient children, after everything was settled, everyone laughed and set about continuing to make loud, exuberant music.

Kahoko had the easiest job of the group since all of the super beginners had been sent to Len's class. Despite that, she had to give a rather stern lecture to a couple of boys who had started sword fighting with their bows. After the two scallywags had survived the severe tongue lashing, they meekly behaved and found, to their astonishment, that music could be enjoyable in and of itself. Playing the violin didn't have to be the torturous, huge bore that they had always thought it to be.

When the clinic was over, they all gathered in the auditorium.

"Congratulations on pulling off a successful clinic," Hiroto complimented, looking proud. His little students were growing up so quickly. Then, looking at his watch he added, "The concert will start in a couple of hours, so make your necessary preparations. The order will be as follows: Fuyuumi, Hino, Shimizu, Hihara, Yunoki, Tsuchiura, and Tsukimori. Now get going." He shooed them out of the room.

* * *

**I'm sorry if it wasn't terribly interesting! Since I had spent so much time leading up to the concert, I figured I had best get it over with at some point, and on the timeline in my head, this seemed like a good place. The next several chapters will cover the concert. They'll be sort of mini-chapters in a sense.**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	24. Feelings

**Hello! Here's the first of the concert chapters. I hope you like them!**

* * *

As the house lights dimmed, the audience's chatter quickly dissipated. When the auditorium had become completely quiet a woman's voice announced, "Seiso Academy is proud to present our Christmas Eve Concert. The theme of this concert is 'A Heartfelt Melody.' We hope you will enjoy the performance."

The audience applauded and hushed as Shouko and Nozaki-san walked onto the stage.

Shouko wore a dress of the purest white with small black polka dots spotting the bodice of her dress and thin white spaghetti straps. The neckline of the dress plunged down, but had a light grey piece of silk to cover the areas that would have been immodestly revealed had the silk not been present. The white silk skirt of the dress puffed out slightly, before luxuriously flowing down to fall about mid-calf. Her two-inch white satin pumps had the cutest playful little bow on them set with a rhinestone buckle in the center. To break up all the white, all of her accessories were in red: a red band around her waist, a tasteful ruby pendant, and red carnations in her hair.

In contrast, Nozaki-san wore concert black with small, blood-red earrings and a sleek ponytail in the place of her usual pigtails. Her tea-length, scoop-necked, sleeveless dress with a stylish red belt, though simple, complemented the young girl's figure nicely.

They bowed, and took their places. The air in the concert hall hung thick with anticipation.

Shouko took a few slow, calming breaths to steady her nerves. _I want to give a carefree performance like last time. I want to fill this song full of the feelings I have for the various people around me: gratitude for my friends, love for my family, and respect for the wonderful musicians that I've met since entering the concours. I want to express all of these emotions in this heartfelt melody._ With a slight tinge of red on her cheeks, she raised her clarinet to her lips. _I also hope that someone special will be able to sense my feelings though this song._ She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _For all of you, I will play._

As the opening strains of Robert Schumann's _Three Romances Op. 94, No.2_ (youtube...com/watch?v=PXGX4YgVtag) filled the concert hall, Kahoko widened her eyes in surprise. She then closed her eyes with a smile, the song sweeping over her like a breath of fresh spring air.

_I would have thought she'd go with a new piece, but I guess she wanted to return to a melody that helped her express a side to her music that she hadn't been able to unlock before. Her carefree performance reminds me of spring. It's full of promise and rejuvenates the soul. You can sense her many emotions starting to peak out like blossoms on the trees._

By Kahoko's side, Keiichi also smiled softly as he listened to the glass-green-haired girl's performance. What a beautiful performance. Fuyuumi-san's playing is so light and pure today. It puts me at ease. I feel like the beauty of spring is unfolding before my eyes.

As Shouko finished, the hall filled with applause. She smiled happily, filled with joy. _Thank you everyone._

"You were wonderful Fuyuumi-chan!" Kahoko squealed, as she gave her friend a quick hug when she had come off of the stage.

"Good job Fuyuumi. That may be the best you've done yet," Kanazawa-sensei complimented her.

"Th-Th-Thank you!" Shouko bowed with a smile, overjoyed at the praise.

"Fuyuumi…san…"

Shouko started slightly, before she slowly turned to look at the blonde-haired youth.

"You played…beautifully today…It was a…very refreshing…performance…" Keiichi gave her a heart-melting smile. "It made…my heart fill…with the kind of joy…one feels…when spring has come…after a long winter…"

"Th-thank y-you…Shimizu-kun," Shouko lowered her eyes, blushing.

_He complimented me! Maybe my feelings did reach him at least a little bit._

* * *

**Tee-hee! The final pairing reveals itself. (^_^) Well, I suppose by this point, it was a bit obvious as they were the only two not paired. I don't know about you, but I think it would be cute. (^_^)**

**Shouko's dress is based off of a picture of her in a similar dress: images2...fanpop…com/image/polls/510000/510342_1281170866372_full…jpg.**

**Nozaki-san's dress I kind of made up in my head based on a dress that I had worn when I was in high school choir.**

**Next up to perform is Kahoko; I guess we'll see how her canon goes.**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	25. Friendship

**Hello! Here's the second of the concert chapters—Kahoko's rendition of Pachelbel's **_**Canon in D**_**. I hope you like it!**

* * *

Kahoko and Manami took the stage amidst the applause.

In stark contrast to Shouko, Kahoko dressed in red with white accents. Her red, strapless dress with beaded rose patterns sloped down to her hips before flaring out and falling mid-calf. Her low, messy, French twist was dotted with small, white flower clips and a string of white pearls sat on her throat.

Like Kahoko, Manami wore red, but while Kahoko's dress was a brilliant ruby red, Manami's was the color of a mature red wine. The elegant, princess line gown tapered into the curve of her waist, assisted by fitting ties in the back and highlighted by a broad black band that went around her middle, before falling softly over her hips and pooling to the floor. Like Nozaki-san's dress, Manami's was also sleeveless, sporting a sweetheart neckline surrounded by two-inch shoulder straps. On her ears, she wore clear, teardrop-shaped, rhinestone earrings, and she had a single white camellia fastened to her head by a black clip. Her hair was fastened back in a low bun with two small, curled tendrils framing her pretty face.

They bowed and got into position. Kahoko smiled and closed her eyes, the faces of her friends coming to mind.

_For all of you, I play this song. For being with me through the good and the bad, I thank you. I want to fill this song with all of my gratitude._

The opening notes of Pachelbel's _Canon in D_ (youtube...com/watch?v=xb1lLCwqZlw) blew into the room like a friendly, warm, summer breeze, reminding one of sunshine and good times spent with friends and loved ones. As she played, she thought fondly of all of her friends: Mio, Nao, Nami, Manami, Sumire, Megumi, Shouko, Keiichi, Azuma, Ryoutaro, Kazuki, and Len.

_With my thanks, and with my love, I dedicate this song to all of you._ When Len's face lingered in her mind's eye, she held out a note. _Thank you for teaching me the beauty of the violin Tsukimori-kun. Without that, I would have never wanted to play…_ Her thoughts turned fondly to her instrument. _The violin has enriched my life. It's broadened my horizons._ With a soft smile on her lips, she felt her eyes tear slightly. _Thank you, my violin. You have brought so much joy into my life. A year ago, I would have never imagined that I'd be participating in a concert like this. We've been through so much together. I love you._

A wave of applause met her at the end of the song. She smiled and walked off the stage.

"That was great, Kaho-chan!" Kazuki praised enthusiastically.

"Thank you Hihara-senpai!" she beamed back at him, her eyes sparkling in happiness.

Len caught her eye and nodded in approval, a ghost of a smile flitting around his lips.

_Is Tsukimori-kun smiling at me? Did he just approve of my performance?_ Her heart beat wildly, elated. This night couldn't get any better.

* * *

**Wow...this chapter ended up being a lot shorter than I expected...oh well. **

**I suppose this chapter ended up kind of sounding like Kahoko x Len, but it wasn't really supposed to be. If you watch the first or second episode, you can see that he was the reason she decided to actually play the violin in the first place; and she half-idolizes his playing, so it makes sense to me that she'd be ecstatic that he thought she played well.**

**Here's a picture of Kahoko's dress; the accents I made up myself: i717...photobucket...com/albums/ww171/OKNewshawk/kahoko-hino...jpg.**

**Manami's dress can be found here; again, I made up the accents in my head: tuxedowholesaler…com/product…asp?p={A2850763-3753-4882-99DC-BD958A6C9659}.**

**Next up is Keiichi. I wonder what he'll play.**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	26. The Swan

**Hello! Here's the third of the concert chapters—Keiichi's going to play the cello. I hope you like it!**

* * *

Keiichi walked slowly out with Andou-san following behind him.

Some of the women in the crowd gasped at Keiichi's angelic face. Both being dressed all in white, down to their shoes, it was understandable why one thought of angels. They bowed and sat in their respective locations.

Keiichi closed his eyes, visualizing a swan. Once he had the image firmly fixed in his mind's eye, he began to play Saint-Saëns' _Le Cygne (The Swan)_ from _The Carnival of the Animals_ (youtube...com/watch?v=m531VMoKKmw).

The swan is a beautiful animal. Today, I want to portray a female swan as opposed to a male. She's dainty and graceful—pristine like her pure white feathers. He pulled the bow across the strings with a slow, fluid stroke, holding out the note. She glides across the water with a quiet, yet majestic air. Even though she is beautiful and regal, she doesn't notice it; she simply goes about without thinking about it or flaunting her beauty. In that way, she becomes even more charming. As he launched into a crescendo, he raised his head slightly, letting the sound reverberate. Finally, she's spreading her wings and launching into flight. Swans struggle to begin flight, but once they get into the air, they are exquisite. As he brought the song back to a soft piano, he bowed his head closer to the neck of his cello. I'm so glad you've been able to spread your wings and fly, my little swan…

Keiichi had a smile on his face that entranced many of the female audience members in addition to one particular glass-green-haired clarinetist.

_He looks like an angel…so peaceful and glad. As he plays you can see a swan as it goes about. _Her expression became a little more thoughtful. _But for some reason, I get the sense that the swan is actually a girl. I wonder what girl has managed to capture Shimizu-kun's heart like that…_ She clutched her clarinet a little more tightly. _Maybe…maybe it's…Kaho-senpai…Shimizu-kun fell in love with her music. Music is such an integral part of him that it's possible he's gone from simply loving the music to loving the person who creates the music._ She felt saddened by the thought, but cheered up when she remembered how he had complimented her a little earlier. _Come on, Shouko. Like the swan that you see before you, you need to be strong and spread your wings to fly. The swan seems so free, free and beautiful._

The song came to a close. Thunderous applause swept through the auditorium. Keiichi stood up, and noticed Shouko watching him, smiling and applauding. He sent her a heart-melting smile. Her face turned pink, but she managed to smile back at him instead of hiding her face. As Keiichi walked off the stage, his eyes were filled only with her.

* * *

**I think out of all the songs he plays, I like this one the best. It's nice to know that the feelings between Keiichi and Shouko are mutual. (^_~)***

**Yeah…I'm really bad at dressing guys, so there probably won't be anymore pictures of concert attire from here on out. It's also not that fun, for me at any rate, to describe guy's clothes. You don't really get to use any fun words unless you're making them look kind of ridiculous. XD**

**Next up is Kazuki! Let's see what he plays for his beloved Kahoko. (^_~)***

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	27. Smile

**Alright! Finally we can get on with this concert. I had major writer's block and have been super busy, so please forgive me! m(_ _)m**

* * *

"You ready, Kazuki?" Tsukasa asked with a smile.

Kazuki gave a thumbs-up and grinned back. The two friends walked out, bowed, and took the stage. Kazuki smiled and closed his eyes as he took a second to prepare for the song. Last time he had played this song, he had wished for it to reach the people he loved and give them courage. This time, he wanted to play for one person. For Kaho-chan's happiness, he would play. He lifted his trumpet to his lips and began to play the theme from _Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity_ from Gustav Holst's _The Planets, Op. 32_ (youtube…com/watch?v=GJ8XRNlOZS4).

As the notes gently blew out toward the audience, a feeling of warmth swept through everyone. Kahoko felt the tune settle like a familiar, favorite blanket around her. A smile came to her face. _This cozy, familiar feeling is so like Hihara-senpai. You can feel his kindness and honesty shine through in this piece._ She hugged her violin a little more tightly to her chest and gave a small sigh of contentment. _The song engulfs you like a hug from a good friend or a family member. It's uplifting and gives you a boost of energy whenever you feel like you're spent._

_**Kaho-chan, I'll always be here for you, standing by your side, cheering you on in whatever you do because I love you. So keep smiling, and keep dreaming because I'll always be your support, your harbor when you need to rest your sails.**_

He gazed at her as she smiled with closed eyes, savoring that last note like a delectable sweet. When she opened her eyes, she caught his gaze and beamed at him. Although it didn't register in his face, he could feel his heart drop. Her smile had told him what he wanted to know.

_**She didn't feel my love for her…To her I'm still just her friend and senpai…**_

* * *

**I'm sorry it's so extremely short! As I said, writer's block. I borrowed some of the ideas and sentiment from the monologue Kazuki says before his performance of the Theme from **_**Jupiter**_** on the CD (youtube...com/watch?v=FFfXeo3cpcY). I tried really hard to make Kazuki's thoughts have both a romantic and platonic side to them, so that way, if you're dense (like Kahoko), then it wouldn't be too hard for the thoughts to get misinterpreted.**

**As a gift/apology for this chapter being so short, here are the other chapters completing the Christmas Eve concert arc. With these, I can finally leave for my wedding and honeymoon guilt-free. I hope no one minds if I take a break from writing to spend time with the guy that I'm marrying. *winks***

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	28. Romance

**We're now down to the last three. (^_^) I really wanted to preserve the order of the rankings for these, so the order will be Azuma, Ryoutaro, and Len. I guess we'll see what song Azuma plays.**

* * *

"Good luck, Yunoki," Kazuki smiled weakly at his friend as they passed each other on their way on and off the stage.

Azuma smiled, "Thank you, Hihara."

When he and Sumire took the stage, he could hear the audience gasp at the two beautiful people dressed in white, standing before them. He allowed himself a smirk when he had hidden his face by bowing to the audience.

**People are so easily taken in by a pretty face, aren't they?**

He nodded to Sumire, and they began. The sweet strains of Edward Elgar's _Salut d'Amour_ (youtube…com/watch?v=nFpvmpm2ZGQ) filled the hall.

**It's interesting that this has become my heartfelt melody. The last time I performed this song was for you, Kahoko. Before that, I never had loved anyone. After finding that I had lost you, Sumire-san used this song as a confession of her love to me.**

He watched his accompanist out of the corner of his eye. Sumire played like a girl in love. He could feel her eyes smiling at him as he played. The sweet music they created seemed to waltz around the room in a romantic dance. They wove their sounds together producing in their audience a feeling similar to the sensation of being in love.

**Even though I cannot yet say that I love her, I do find myself drawn to her more and more every time we meet. Just like you, Kahoko, she is full of surprises and keeps me entertained. Although, I think I like the relationship we have more in some ways. I terrorized you when I showed you my true self. She's not as easy to tease, but that in itself is a challenge…**

He saw Kahoko out of the corner of his eye. She listened with a rapturous expression on her face. He could almost see tears forming in her eyes. Azuma smiled to himself.

**Did you know that the original title of this song meant "love's greeting"? My pursuit for your love has closed, and Sumire-san's for mine has opened. I suppose in a way this song may be allowing me to greet a new love. I honestly hope that you will find your own love's greeting, for you were my first love Kahoko.**

Azuma and Sumire held out the last note, letting it fade away softly and sweetly. The applause filled the room. Many women wiped away tears. Couples all around the auditorium gazed adoringly at each other, having been reminded of the sweetness of love.

He didn't know why, perhaps it was because the mood seemed to dictate an action like this, but he walked over to Sumire and extended his hand. She smiled up at him and demurely took it. They then walked forward and took their bow together, hand in hand, like a couple.

Kahoko was overjoyed. _Congratulations Sumire-chan! It looks like Yunoki-senpai is accepting you truly as his fiancée!_

Azuma looked down at his bride-to-be as they began to walk off the stage. **You told me that she did not love me, but now I have seen it for myself.** He watched as Kahoko ran to give Sumire a hug in excitement. **Farewell Kahoko…May you too find love. And maybe,** a ghost of a smile flitted across his lips as his eyes moved over to the lavender-haired girl with a radiant smile, **I'll be able to find it in a place I didn't expect to…**

* * *

**Yes! We are zipping through these chapters at a nice pace. (^_^) It's so nice to finally be able to publish these! I had predetermined the performance order a while ago, but the concert chapters themselves were written out of order. Unfortunately, it caused the publishing bottleneck that you've observed. =\**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	29. A New Beginning

**Second-to-last concert chapter! I suppose you already know what Ryoutaro's going to play, but let's take a peek inside his head anyway. (^_^)**

* * *

"Tsuchiura-kun…"

Ryoutaro turned to face a slightly bashful Manami.

"Give them a performance they'll never forget!" Manami smiled.

He grinned at her, nodding. Then he turned to Len and challenged, "Get ready to be floored."

Len stoically returned his gaze, not deigning to respond.

With a confident smile, Ryoutaro strode onto the stage. As he sat down at the piano, he rested his hands on the keys for a few seconds to collect himself. He opened his eyes and delicately tapped out the opening notes of Franz Liszt's _La campanella_ (youtube…com/watch?v=DYUv7qqxgCM). A hush fell over the audience.

*flashback*

"Please, play _La campanella_ for your solo piece at the concert!"

"Huh?"

"I know that you want to play another piece because you want to move on from that incident from so long ago, but you said so yourself," she leaned against a park bench for support, still gasping from the strenuous exercise, "The reason that you were so traumatized was because you felt like your music, all of who you were, was rejected! You put your whole heart into playing that piece both then and at the final selection. You've stopped doing things half-heartedly like you did when you were hiding your piano. _La campanella_ is a song that contains a lot of history for you. It brings your life up to this point full-circle. You can't play it without pouring your all into it. In a way, doesn't that make it your heartfelt melody?"

*going to another scene*

"Uh, umm…Tsuchiura-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"I…I suppose this may not be the world's best timing, but…I've liked you for a long time now. Actually…you're the reason that I started accompanying for Hino-san." Hurriedly she added, "Of course, I was very impressed with the strength and performance she exhibited. I'd never heard a _Tristesse_ like it before, but…I will admit that I had hoped that by joining the concours as her accompanist, I'd be able to get closer to you…Your accompaniment was breathtaking. Even though you didn't know where she was going with it, you were able to follow her flawlessly. I was so impressed with you, I did my own research about you and found that I liked what I had seen and heard." She blushed, "It also doesn't hurt that you're _extremely_ handsome…"

"You don't need to give me an answer now," Manami murmured quietly. "I'm sure that even if you've decided to give up on Hino-san, it will take you some time to get over her. I'm sure your love for her was by no means shallow."

*end flashback*

**Mori is a great girl, better than I probably deserve. Who knew that she felt that way about my music and about me? I'm grateful to you, Mori, no…Manami-san. For a while now, I've been selfishly withholding a proper answer to your confession despite knowing your feelings. No doubt you've been afraid to ask in fear that I'd crush your hopes. Hino is the one who helped me to free the music within myself, but you are the one whom I want to play for now. You helped me to be honest with myself. I do care for Hino still, but I think I'm ready to try things with you Manami-san. Let's face the future together.**

Manami's eyes widened. Somehow, she knew that this song was his answer to her confession: he had accepted her love. Tears started to fall.

"Mori-san? Why are you crying? Is something wrong?" Kahoko looked at her friend in concern.

With a smile, Manami shook her head. "I think, I just got my answer," she whispered.

Kahoko looked at her in askance as the last chord filled the air.

The audience stood, roaring in applause. Ryoutaro couldn't help but feel a thrill in his heart.

**A standing ovation! Well, how about that? Beat that Tsukimori.**

Ryoutaro caught Len's eyes and gave a triumphant smirk as he walked off the stage. Len coolly met his gaze, then looked away as if to minimize the accomplishment.

_**I won't admit it to his face, but that was an impressive performance.**_ He looked out at the stage in determination._** Now it's my turn.**_

* * *

**Almost done! Next up is Len. Let's see how well he compares to Ryoutaro. Any guesses on what he'll play? To me, it seems like there's really only one choice, but that's just me. *laughs***

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	30. Love

**Ok, this is the last of the concert chapters. Since Len actually won the intra-school concours, it makes sense for him to be the last one to perform at least to me.**

* * *

Len and Kashino-san slowly walked onto the stage. Everyone waited in anticipation for the performance of the winner of the concours. Megumi sat near the back, her eyes following Len's every movement. As he nestled his violin on his shoulder, he saw Kahoko out of the corner of his eye. While he didn't smile, his face softened a bit.

_**Hino, this song is for you.**_

As he began to play Franz Schubert's _Ave Maria_ (youtube…com/watch?v=DvlTuBnpKpc), it was like a spell was cast over the audience. The sound coming from his violin was so rich it gave the illusion that there was an entire orchestra on stage instead of just a single performer.

_**Kahoko…we first met because you heard me playing this song. It was the first time anyone had complimented my music so sincerely. You complimented it because you enjoyed the sound of it, with no knowledge of my parents' accomplishments. It was because of you that we were able to play such a haunting rendition of this song together at the Fuyuumi's villa. You helped me to face my fears of being inadequate. It was because you were able to brave the last selection despite your obvious lack of ability that I decided to overcome my trepidation and play with my mother in that charity concert. Somehow, I can't help but think of **_**Ave Maria**_** as our song…**_

Megumi and Kahoko both felt tears spill out of their eyes, but they cried for different reasons. One cried because her heart was pierced with despair and the other because her heart was pierced by the song's beauty.

_I feel so warm, like my body is being wrapped in light. Tsukimori-kun's playing makes me feel like I'm floating. It's euphoric. His sound has changed so much!_

"_I guess even though we had gotten closer the past few weeks, he loves Hino-senpai,_" Megumi thought sadly. She closed her eyes and cried silently, "_To him I'm no one of consequence. I was thinking of confessing to him after his parents' concert tomorrow, but now I'm not even sure I'll go…No…I can't do that…Papa worked so hard to get that ticket for me as a Christmas present. I can't let his hard work go to waste._" She gazed longingly at her blue-haired prince. "_Besides, even if I'm not the one he loves,_" she closed her eyes and tilted her head back a bit,"_I still love his music,_" she thought as she drank in the sound reverberating around her.

* * *

**Yay! And now we're finally done with this concert! I liked writing the different pieces, but some were easier than others, so it made publishing in order a little hard since I had a particular order that I wanted to use.**

**We can finally go back to the normal story! Let's see what the events of the rest of the Christmas holiday bring. (^_^)**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	31. A K K Kiss? !

**Hello! I'm finally back from my writing vacation. (^_^) It's nice to feel a sense of accomplishment again. (^_^) I'm sorry for such a long break, but between getting married, going on my honeymoon, working full time, and putting a house together, there just wasn't much time for writing! But now, weeee're back! !**

* * *

"Here you are, Tsuchiura-kun. Merry Christmas!" Kahoko smiled at the tall youth as she held out his Christmas gift.

"Oh! Thanks Hino," he gave the girl a frank smile before offering her a simply wrapped parcel and adding, "Here's your gift. I hope you'll have a great Christmas!"

"Thanks! I hope you will too!" she responded with a large smile. From there, she went on to give Manami, Keiichi, Azuma, and Nami their gifts. She spied Shouko on the other side of the room and waved, but the young girl seemed to be preoccupied with a gift bag that she tightly clutched in her hands.

"Is something wrong, Fuyuumi-chan?" Kahoko asked, coming up slightly behind the girl.

Shouko jumped, rudely jolted out of her preoccupied state. "K-K-Kaho-senpai!" she exclaimed and turned beet-red. "N-N-No! N-Nothing is wrong!"

Kahoko looked down at the bag in Shouko's hands. She furrowed her brow slightly in thought for a second before the light bulb went on. She recognized that gift bag. Hiding a slightly mischievous smile, she asked innocently, "Is that Shimizu-kun's gift?"

Shouko sighed, "Y-yes, it is…I-I-I just don't know how I'm going to give it to him…"

_Even though I had resolved to bake these cookies for him, in the end I find myself lacking the boldness to actually give them to him. How utterly pathetic…_ Dejectedly she looked down at the small bag.

Kahoko gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sure you'll figure something out." More cheerfully, she added, "But here's your gift. Merry Christmas!"

"Ah! Th-Thank you. Merry Christmas to you too," she responded, taking the bag gratefully.

As they exchanged gifts a voice startled them, "Fuyuumi-san…"

Both girls jumped half a mile in the air. "Shi-Shimizu-kun! Don't scare us like that!" Kahoko yelled, clutching her hand to her chest in an attempt to steady her galloping heart.

"I'm sorry…Kaho-senpai…Fuyuumi-san…" He bowed apologetically. Then he turned to Shouko. "Fuyuumi-san…this is…for you…I hope…you will…like it…Merry Christmas…"

"Ah!" Shouko graciously, but shyly, accepted the small package and responded, "Uh, umm…Th-this is for you, Shimizu-kun. I-I hope you will enjoy it. Merry Christmas!"

With a slight nod of acknowledgement, he sleepily took the bag. Then he seemed to wake up a bit more. Lifting the bag to his nose, he gave it a delicate sniff before asking, "Fuyuumi-san…Did you bake…cookies for me…?"

Kahoko looked at her friend in surprise. _I thought she said that she had bought him some warm gloves._

"Ah!" Shouko blushed bright pink. "Y-yes…there's something else in there, b-but that by itself d-didn't seem like enough, so…so…I-I baked some cookies for you too," she explained quickly. Feeling her face grow warmer and warmer she cried in embarrassment, "Was it a bad idea? ?"

He slowly opened the bag and took out a cookie. He looked at it for a second before taking a slow bite. After chewing it slowly, he gave the disconcerted girl one of his famous smiles. "It's…delicious…"

Shouko felt tears of relief come to her eyes. "I-I'm so glad!" she smiled.

"You have…a nice smile…Fuyuumi-san…"

Her eyes widened; she felt faint. _Shi-Shimizu-kun? ! D-did he just say that? This must be a dream!_

Kahoko gave a mysterious smile and left her two kouhai to themselves. It would be fun to see if anything came out of this. She could already imagine how cute they'd be together. When she looked up from her musings, she spied Kazuki and Len exchanging gifts in the corner, which worked for her, as they were the last two on her list.

"Tsukimori-kun, Hihara-senpai, these are for you!" she smiled as she handed each boy a separate package. Then handing Kazuki another package she added, "And this one is for your family. I wanted to thank them for their hospitality the other day."

Len watched her sharply out of the corner of his eye. _**She knows his family well enough to give them a gift?**_

"Ah! Thank you Kaho-chan!" Kazuki beamed. He looked a bit embarrassed when he handed his gift to her. "I know this isn't much," he apologized. Since he didn't get a chance to tell her about his actual gift, he figured he'd best have something for the gift exchange, but he only had so much money…

Kahoko shook her head, taking the envelope with a kind smile. "I'm sure I'll love it, whatever it is." Turning to Len, she found that the handsome lad had disappeared.

_Where'd Tsukimori-kun go? Well, I guess I can talk to him when we head home later._

Kahoko shrugged and continued to chat with Kazuki before Nami commandeered them for a group photo. When it was time to go home, all of the friends parted ways, wishing each other a good holiday. Since she and Len lived in the same direction, he accompanied her home. For a while, they walked together in relative silence, simply enjoying the crisp night air and the snow-covered landscape, but after a few minutes, she noticed that they weren't going quite the right way.

"Tsukimori-kun?" she looked up at him questioningly.

"You mentioned earlier that you wanted to see the Christmas tree in the square," he stated quietly.

Kahoko's eyes lit up. "I had completely forgotten about the tree! I can't wait to see it! Thank you!" she gushed, beaming up at him with excitement in her eyes.

He averted his eyes, his cheeks flushing a slight pink. As they neared the tree, Kahoko ran slightly ahead, gasping in awe. The tree was brightly decorated in rich red, gold, silver, and green orbs. Bright lights wreathed the thick branches, creating graceful scallops along the circumference of the tree. Twinkling stars were scattered among the orbs, reflecting the bright, cheery faces of those who looked into them.

"Hino…"

Kahoko paused a second before turning to face Len. There was something different about the way he had said her name.

_Why do I feel nervous all of a sudden? My heart beat is starting to quicken._

"Y-yes, what is it Tsukimori-kun?"

"Merry Christmas," he handed her a box while looking at her solemnly.

For some reason, she felt that she should open it now and not wait for Christmas day. She carefully unwrapped the gift.

_What could it be…Oh! It's, it's…_

"It's beautiful! Thank you!" Kahoko looked up at Len with shining eyes. Then she looked back down at the pendant. The necklace was made of sterling silver in the shape of a violin and bow, with the face of the violin covered in crystal. Every detail of the violin was perfect, down to the peg box and scroll.

Quick as a wink, she removed the necklace from the box and got to work on putting it around her neck. After struggling for a few minutes with the clasp—it was very fine—Len cleared his throat and asked quietly, "Would you like some help?"

Looking up from her labors, she answered dubiously, "Are you sure? The clasp is pretty tricky." While she had to admit that the clasp had her confounded, Len didn't strike her as the type to be helpful in this kind of situation.

"I undid the clasp once when I was picking it out."

"Oh!" She brightened considerably, all skepticism gone. "In that case, I'd love some help!" she replied eagerly, gratefully handing him the pendant.

With a slight nod, Len accepted the crystal gem and walked behind her. He carefully undid the clasp and tenderly pushed back her hair, exposing her bare neck. Then, ever so slowly, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and circled the ends of the chain around her. As he leaned in to fasten the clasp, she could feel his breath on her neck.

_Th-this feels so…_intimate_…Calm down, Kahoko. Breathe, breathe. Oh, my face feels warm!_

"Th-thank you, Tsukimori-kun…" she whispered, pulling away and turning to face him.

Still bent over from his work, he looked at her, their faces almost right across from each other. She met his gaze. As their eyes locked, it seemed as if they were suspended in time. Seconds slowed to years, and minutes slowed to eons.

As their gaze held, the tension slowly rose until a single, panicked thought began to consume her mind. _I-I-is he g-going to k-k-kiss me? ! ? ! !_

Her heart began to race, and she started to shake slightly, her eyes widening slightly more with every passing moment. Was she ready for this? Was this what she wanted? ? Was she just imagining things? ! ?

Noting the drastic change in her demeanor, Len pursed his lips together almost imperceptibly. _**She seems…frightened…**_

He blinked, breaking the constant eye contact, before lightly brushing away some of the snow that had piled up on her head. "We should go," he said, straightening up.

"Y-yes…w-we should…" Kahoko replied in embarrassment, busying herself with dusting the rest of the snow off of her head.

The two walked home in a somewhat uncomfortable silence and bid each other good night. Straightaway she ran into her room and threw herself onto her bed, her thoughts a turmoil of confusion.

_What…What just happened…?_

* * *

***sigh* It's kind of too bad that my first chapter back after a long vacation had to be a Len x Kahoko chapter, but I had outlined this story a long time ago, and this was set to come next. Well, on the bright side, whenever Len pulls ahead in the race slightly, Kazuki always comes racing up soon after. v(^_^)v**

**I wonder what will happen now?**

**Now that I'm married, I probably won't have as much time for writing as I did in the past, but I promise that I'll update more frequently than I have now that life has settled down a little bit. (^_^)d**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	32. Sister, Sister

**Hello! Well, I know I had said that I'd update more frequently than I had been, but even I'm surprised at this! Two chapters in a day has to be a record! I'm not counting the concert chapters since I didn't write all of those in one day, I just published them all in one day. But enough of me talking, let's get on with the story. (^_^)**

* * *

Noriko poked her head into her sister's room. "Hey, Kaho, it's time to go downstairs and open presents." At Kahoko's non-response, she frowned and strode into the room. "Kaho? Hello~! Earth to Kaho!" Noriko waved her hand in front of her little sister's face.

"H-huh?" Kahoko blinked in surprise. Following the hand up the wrist, to the elbow, and finally to her sister's face, she grimaced slightly. She had been caught spacing. "Oh, sorry, Sis, I didn't see you there."

"Well, that's obvious." Noriko sat down on the edge of Kahoko's bed. "What's wrong?"

Kahoko blushed a bright tomato red. "Wr-wrong? ! N-nothing's wr-wrong!" she stammered.

"Uh, huh…You know that you're a just about the world's worst liar, right?" Noriko shot her a withering look.

Kahoko averted her eyes, looking miserable.

Sighing, Noriko wrapped a sympathetic arm around her sister. "Come on; tell me what's going on. It kills me to see you moping around like this, especially on Christmas."

"It's really nothing, Sis. Don't worry about me. It's really not that big of a deal." She gave her sister a fake smile.

Noriko sighed and shook her head. Just how dumb did her sister think she was? Sometimes it's just best to cut straight to the chase. "So is it a problem with Hihara-kun or Tsukimori-san?"

"Wh-what?" Kahoko asked in shock, the color draining out of her face.

"So which is it?"

She mouthed silently in response, trying to come up with a way out of her predicament. But after a solid minute of coming up with dead end after dead end, she finally surrendered and admitted, "Tsu-Tsukimori-kun…"

"Did he try to kiss you or something?"

Kahoko's mouth dropped open and her eyes went round as saucers.

"Apparently I've hit upon something," Noriko gloated for a minute over her lucky guess before frowning and getting back to the matter at hand. "So what happened?"

"Well…I…umm…" She covered her face in embarrassment.

Noriko gave an almost inaudible, impatient sigh. The things she did for family. "Did he make a move to kiss you?"

Kahoko could feel her face heating up. "N-not exactly…"

"Clarify"

"Our…our faces were kind of close together…at about the right height…" her voice failed her again as she started shaking slightly.

Giving her sister's shoulder a reassuring squeeze Noriko waited until she had calmed down a little bit before gently asking, "And what happened afterward?"

Kahoko took a deep breath before answering, somewhat calmly—after all, this was the easy part—"Nothing. He just brushed some snow off of my head and said that we should head back." With a sigh, she admitted, "Now I'm wondering if I was just confused about him trying to kiss me-"

"I doubt it," she cut her sister off. "He probably started to make his move and then changed his mind for some reason…" She looked at Kahoko very seriously. "Did you want him to kiss you?"

Her eyes practically bugged out of her head. What kind of a question was that? !

After a minute of watching Kahoko gape at her, Noriko prodded, "Well?"

"I-I…I don't know…" she finally replied miserably. "I was kind of shocked and confused..."

Rubbing her temple, Noriko asked, "How about when he didn't kiss you, how did you feel?"

"How did I feel…" Kahoko murmured slowly to herself, too preoccupied to be embarrassed. "I guess part of me was relieved, but another part of me might have been slightly disappointed…" She shook her head. "No, I'm not sure disappointed is the right word…" After brooding some more, she threw her head in her hands, and declared in a hopeless tone, "I'm not sure how I felt!"

Noriko sympathetically patted her shoulder. Clearing her throat to get Kahoko's attention, she looked solemnly at the redheaded girl. "Just a piece of sisterly advice: try and figure out your feelings soon." She smiled a little sadly. "You don't want to end up losing him if you truly care about him." Feeling the need to lighten the mood a bit, Noriko teasingly stuck out her tongue and added, "But not right now. Shou isn't going to be home for much longer, and the last thing he needs to see is you moping about the house, so put it out of your mind for now. You'll have some time to think about it later." Pushing herself up from the bed, she held out her hand. "Let's go downstairs. Everyone's waiting for us."

"R-right," Kahoko nodded slowly before taking Noriko's hand and following her down the stairs. Her sister was right, she could think about boys later. She smiled a little more brightly as her nose picked up the warm scent of hot cakes. All that thinking had made her hungry.

* * *

**I'm sorry if this was a little bit of a letdown, but I cross my heart that the next chapter will be all about Kazuki and Kahoko. (^_^) It's been a long time since we had any sibling perspective, and I thought using Noriko to get Kahoko's thoughts off of Len would be a good way to make sure she's nice and able to focus on Kazuki. (^_^)**

**As for the title of this chapter, yes, I took the title of the sit com. It seemed somewhat appropriate seeing as this chapter focuses solely on the sisters. (^_~)**

**Yay! A Christmas special in August! XD**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	33. The Envelope

**Oh man! Was August really the last time I updated this thing? I am so sorry! This chapter and the next were originally one chapter, but I kind of promised kazuki-senpai that I'd update by Christmas, and I'm not 100% sure I'd be done by Christmas if I uploaded it as one big chapter, so…I decided to divide and (hopefully) conquer. I hope you like it. (^_^)**

* * *

"Thank you, Shou! I've been needing new rosin!" Kahoko exclaimed as she admired the violin maintenance kit her brother had given her.

"No problem, kiddo," the tall, red-haired boy responded good-naturedly. He was pleased at how much his baby sister liked her gift. "Mom and Dad said that you've been working hard practicing your violin, so I thought I'd give you something related to that. With this kit you should be able to keep your violin in tip-top shape."

"Yup!" she grinned at her brother. She pulled out her next gift.

_Oh, it's Hihara-senpai's envelope. I wonder what he got me…Maybe a gift certificate?_

"Who's that from, Kahoko?" her mother asked, setting down a mug of hot chocolate on the table next to her daughter.

"This is from Hihara-senpai."

"_Oh, then maybe that box on the table wasn't from him…_" her mother thought, glancing at the white box on the counter. She had noticed it lying around a few days previous.

"Hihara-senpai?" Shou asked in curiosity.

"He's a good friend of mine from school," Kahoko explained as she ripped open the envelope. "We met through the intra-school concours."

As she curiously skimmed the note, her eyes lit up, eagerly reading the list of cafés he had made. She couldn't wait to try the delectable treats that he had recommended. When her eyes ran over the note he left at the top again, a warm, dreamy smile came to her face. _It's so like Hihara-senpai to think of something like this._

"Earth to Kaho! Plan to let the rest of us know what it is?" Noriko called in an amused tone of voice.

Oh, yeah, her little sister was head over heels for Kazuki. She just didn't know it. Noriko suppressed an eye roll. "_How typical._"

"Oh, sorry," Kahoko laughed, not noticing the bemused looks on her family's faces. "It's a list of cake shops that I can go to with Mio and Nao!" she announced in excitement.

Shou reclined against the couch with a loud bark of laughter. "Well! He sure knows you! Kaho the sugar-holic," he teased, taking a sip of his coffee.

Sticking out her tongue in response, she was just about to let out a retort when Noriko leaned over and interrupted, "Hey, I think there's something on the back."

"Huh?" Kahoko turned the sheet of paper over and read aloud, "I really recommend the Christmas cake at one of these shops. If you ever need one, let me know." Kahoko looked up at her mother who was now sitting on the couch next to her father. "We have a Christmas cake already, don't we?"

"Actually, we don't," Noriko interjected, thinking, "_So that's why Hihara-san told me to make sure we didn't get a Christmas cake. This must be his idea. It seems too slick to be something Hihara-kun would cook up._"

"Noriko!" their mother scolded, "I asked you to pick one up a couple of days ago!" With a reproving frown she added, "And you were so emphatic that I let you take care of it even."

"Sorry! It must've slipped my mind…" she apologized, sending her mother a meek look before putting her hands together and bowing her head slightly over them.

"In that case," their father suggested in a reasonable tone while patting his wife's hand reassuringly, "Why don't you give him a call Kahoko?" He eyed the list for a second, noting the in-depth descriptions of both the stores and the top-three recommended sweets at each shop. With a grin, he joked, "A boy that pays that much attention to sweets has to have good taste."

"OK; I'll call him right after we finish with all these presents," she agreed with a smile. Cake was one of the best parts of Christmas after all.

- ( ^ ~ ^ ) -

*Ring Ring*

"Hello? Hihara residence," Haruki lazily drawled into the phone, flipping a page in his magazine.

"Hello. Is Hihara-senpai available? It's Hino from his school. I'm sorry for bothering you, but I tried his cell phone, and no one picked up."

"Oh!" She immediately had his full attention. "Hey there. Yeah, I think he left it to charge in his room. I'll go get him."

As Haruki strolled over to his brother in the other room, he saw Kazuki blissfully pop another cookie into his mouth. A wolfish grin overtook his features. "_It's show time._"

"Hey, Kazuki, it's for you." Noting that he still hadn't finished his cookie, Haruki glibly lied, "One of the guys."

"'K" Kazuki answered and accepted the phone from his brother. Leaning against the couch, he twiddled his next cookie between his fingers and nonchalantly stated with his mouth full of cookie, "Hewo? Kazuki sfeaking."

"Hihara-senpai?"

He almost choked. _**Kaho-chan!**_ He couldn't believe he had answered the phone with his mouth full like that! Cookie forgotten, Kazuki grabbed the phone with both hands and quickly swallowed the rest of his cookie, trying to preserve the remaining shreds of his tattered dignity.

"K-Kaho-chan! Wh-what's up?" He shot a death glare to Haruki who was dying of laughter over in the corner. How could he let him make a fool of himself like that? Some brother.

"I was wondering if I could bother you for your insider information," she joked. A small smile played on her lips as she naturally sunk into the easy, comfortable pace the two of them shared.

"Information?" Kazuki replied dumbly.

"Yes." Kahoko smiled and twirled a strand of hair around her finger as she talked. "I found your message on the back of the list of cake shops you gave me. We don't have a Christmas cake yet, so if you could tell me where to pick one up, I'd really be indebted to you."

"Oh!" He shot Haruki a confused look, to which Haruki, who was now listening on the other line, mouthed back, gesturing, "Play along."

"R-right! Uh…a Christmas cake!" he repeated, while still shooting Haruki panicked looks of bewilderment. What was going on? What shop should he suggest? Were there any stores that even still _had_ Christmas cake? They were usually sold out by now.

Despite his urgent, mouthed pleas for advice, all Haruki did was gesture, "Go on…keep going."

Desperate to gain himself some time, and maybe even strangle the necessary information out of his brother, Kazuki managed to stammer, "So, uh, actually….it's, err, kind of hard to, uh, find the shop, so…umm….uh, would you rather I pick it up for you?"

At that, Haruki hit his face with his palm. Covering the receiver, he hissed at Kazuki, "What are you doing, you idiot?" He was ruining everything!

Covering his receiver also, Kazuki replied in kind, "Well you weren't helping me out! What was I supposed to do?"

Before Haruki could go over and pummel his idiot brother into the ground for wrecking his set-up, he heard Kahoko protest, "Oh no! I couldn't let you do that!"

With a small laugh she brightly added, "Besides, I'm curious about the shop myself, so I really want to see it."

Haruki let out a sigh of mixed exasperation and relief. The plan was back on track. Hopefully his pea-brained baby brother would wake up and get with the program.

"Oh…" Kazuki took a sidelong look at Haruki who gave him a smug, knowing look. There was only one way out of this, and they both knew it.

Kazuki slowly let out a breath. _**Well, here goes nothing.**_

Kazuki nervously wetted his lips and cleared his throat. "Uh…in that case…shall we…umm…" he gulped before quietly uttering, "Go together?"

"Eh?" Kahoko's eyes widened slightly as her hand stilled its playing.

Noriko looked over in curiosity. Seeing the tell-tale pink flush in Kahoko's cheeks, she smirked. "_Oh, this looks good…Well done, Hihara-san._"

Seeing Noriko smirk in the corner of her eye, Kahoko flushed an even deeper shade of red and scampered further into the kitchen to hide from her sister's probing eyes. _Go…together…?_ She rubbed her arm in consternation. _He doesn't mean like a…a…_DATE_ does he? And on Christmas no less!_ Taking a few slow breaths to calm herself, she reasoned, "_No, that can't be what he means. He's just concerned about me; that's all…Hihara-senpai is a very warm, kind person…_"

As the thoughts and justifications tumbled around and around in her mind, she could vaguely hear Kazuki hesitantly say, "If you don't want to go with me…I-"

"No!" she burst out automatically. She could almost hear Kazuki jump on the other end of the line as her face colored deep red in mortification. "I…I mean…." she stammered, in embarrassment. "I-I'd be really grateful to you if you'd show me the bakery. If it's as hard to find as you say, then I'll need all the help I can get."

"Oh! Uh, yeah, I'm glad to help." He blushed and nervously scratched the back of his neck with his free hand.

_Help, yes _help_—he wants to _help_ me. Stop being such an idiot reading into things that don't need to be read into. Hihara-senpai is just being kind and helpful and thoughtful just like always._

Clearing his throat in embarrassment he asked, "So…when would you like to go?"

"Oh, right," she said, snapping out of her thoughts. Combing her hand through some strands of hair she smiled and responded brightly, "I'm free now, if you're not busy." She felt much more at ease now that her ridiculous thoughts had been put to rest.

"Now?" he mouthed, turning slightly away from the phone.

Haruki nodded in approval.

Kazuki turned back to the phone. "Umm, now is fine. I'll pick you up from your house."

She shook her head vehemently even though he couldn't see her. "Oh, no, don't worry about it, Hihara-senpai. I can meet you somewhere."

"Oh, uh…umm…ok…I guess I'll meet you…" he looked frantically at Haruki for help.

"Meet her at the train station," he hissed.

"At the train station, yes, the train station!" Kazuki called out distractedly.

"Ok, see you then, Hihara-senpai," she responded with a slight giggle. As soon as it arose, she mentally squashed the thought about how cute he could be sometimes. As she hung up the phone, a horrible realization came to her. With a slight shriek, she tore up the stairs to her room.

The family looked at each other for a second in confusion before all silently agreeing that Noriko go investigate. Noriko quickly mounted the stairs and knocked on her sister's door. "Kaho…?"

The door flew open to reveal Kahoko's panicked face and what looked like every article of clothing that she possessed strewn across her bed. "Oh good!" she cried, dragging her sister into the room before running back to the bed and alternately picking up and tossing back different articles of clothing.

"…What's going on…?" Noriko asked, surveying her sister's crazed actions with a raised eyebrow.

"I just agreed to meet Hihara-senpai at the train station in a little bit!" Kahoko explained distractedly as she pulled on a brown cap and examined the effect in the mirror.

"And…?"

Kahoko stared at her sister incredulously for a second before wailing, "_Look_ at me! I'm still in my pajamas!"

Noriko quickly fought down a laugh. "_A little flustered getting ready for our date, are we?_" Sneaking out the camera that she had been using downstairs, she took a picture of her sister holding up an outfit and examining herself in the mirror.

Noticing Noriko's lack of movement, Kahoko exclaimed, "Quick! Help me find something to wear!"

Twenty minutes and three outfits later, Kahoko was running out the door on her way to the train station. From the doorway, Noriko smiled slyly at the pictures she had taken of Kahoko's panic as she got ready for her 'date.' This whole thing was really just too funny.

On the other side of town, as soon as the line went dead, Kazuki whirled furiously to face his brother. "What are you trying to pull?" he yelled angrily. "I didn't write any message on the back of that list! And more importantly," he added with a note of panic in his voice, "Where am I supposed to find a shop that still has Christmas cakes at this point? All the good ones are usually sold out by now!"

"There is one," Haruki replied calmly. The hard part was done, now he just needed his oh-so-naïve brother to make good use of the opportunity he had given him. "I've got a friend whose father owns a cake shop. I pulled a few strings, and they'll make sure that you'll get a Christmas cake, even if they have to bake one fresh." Rummaging in his pocket for a minute, he brandished a slip of paper at the green-haired boy. "Here's the address. You've been here before, right?"

Kazuki scanned the address, trying to visualize the location in his head. His face brightened as he remembered. "Oh yeah! I've been there before! Their cake is super amazing!" More to himself than anyone else, he added thoughtfully, "I haven't been there in a while because I've been busy, though."

"Alright, you know how to get there. Just mention your name to the cashier, and you'll be golden." With another wolfish grin, he said slyly, "Now go enjoy your date."

Kazuki's eyes widened. _**Date? Is this a date? I…I guess it kind of is. And…and…it's **_**Christmas**_**! I get to go on a date with Kaho-chan on **_**Christmas**_**!**_ An awed expression came over his face as he let himself get used to that thought.

Shaking his head at how much of a sap his brother was, Haruki gave his brother a shove. "Snap out of it, you doofus!" With a wink he crowed, "You can sing my praises and pledge to do my chores for a month to show your gratitude when you get back." With another push, he ordered, "Now go! Don't make her wait for you in this cold."

"Ah! You're right!" he exclaimed, snapping out of his happy daze. Scrambling for the door, he grabbed his jacket, scarf, and gloves. "I'll be back later~!" Kazuki hollered as he hopped out of the house, pulling on his shoes in his rush to get to the train station and Kahoko's smiling face.

* * *

**From here on out, I'm going to try to make Kahoko more noticeably fall more and more in love with Kazuki. Hopefully nothing in this chapter was too out of the blue.**

**In Japan, Christmas is a big holiday for couples. That's why Kazuki's so ecstatic and part of why Kahoko was kind of freaking out. Japanese people also have Christmas cake on Christmas. I think they're just a normal cakes, but they're decorated with Christmas stuff and are fairly elaborate. (^_^)**

**I'll try to update with the rest of this chapter by Christmas, but I'm not making ANY promises. Merry Christmas!**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	34. Merry Christmas

**I'm so sorry for taking forever and ever…and ever to update this! I just checked the update date, and it was last year…now I feel pretty terrible. Obviously my attempts to post this chapter by Christmas were epically dismal. Well, to (hopefully) make it up to you, I'm posting three or four chapters today. This chapter was giving me problems, so I started writing subsequent chapters. Since they're done anyway, there's no reason to wait.**

**Guest/Anonymous: Thank you for reviewing my story (twice?). I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I'll try to be a little better about updating this than once every six months!**

* * *

She rushed up behind him and knelt over slightly, breathing hard. "Hihara-senpai! I'm sorry I'm late."

As she stood there panting, all he could do was stare at her. She wore a soft, emerald green jacket with fringes around the hood over a white, scoop-necked cotton shirt. The jacket ended just a little bit past the start of a flowing, full, taupe skirt that hit a little past her knees and seamlessly seemed to transition to the heeled deerskin boots she had worn the last time they had gone shopping. She accessorized in white. On her shoulder hung a large, rectangular-bodied purse with rope-like handles, and on her head was a white cap crocheted into flower-like patterns. Her bright red hair flowed out from under the cap in two pigtails that lay in front of her shoulders.

Seeing her eyes connect with his, he quickly snapped out of it, turning his head away to hide his blush. Feigning interest in the station clock, he stated, "No problem. Are you ready to go, Kaho-chan?"

"Yup! Lead the way!"

The two chatted amiably as they rode the bus.

"How's your Christmas been so far?"

"Wonderful! It's been nice to have my brother home. You'll never guess what he got me!"

"Umm…a CD?"

Kahoko exclaimed, "No, a violin maintenance kit! It's great! I've been trying to save up money to buy one, but my money keeps going to buying scores or sweets."

At that they both laughed.

When the two got off the bus, they wound through the square, going from street to street until Kazuki eventually looked up and announced, "I think we're here!"

As they walked inside, Kahoko's eyes widened at the assortment of sweets glistening tantalizingly before her eyes. She saw mont blancs, éclairs, cream puffs, strudels, short cakes, chocolate tortes, fruit tarts, mousse cakes, and roll cakes. While she was enamored with the cake display, Kazuki walked up to the cashier and explained their errand. The girl smiled at him and went in back.

"Kaho-chan, here's the Christmas cake."

Her eyes lit up as she looked in the box. "A Bûche de Noël! I haven't had one before. It really does look like a log." She looked over at the cashier. "Are those strawberries in front of the stump?"

"Yes. We use a chocolate sponge cake filled with vanilla whipped cream and strawberry slices, then cover it with a light chocolate frosting, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and a light dusting of powdered sugar to make it look snow-covered. The placard is made of chocolate also, so you can eat it."

"Thank you! It looks delicious!" She grinned at Kazuki. "I can't wait to show my family!"

He grinned right back. "The cakes here are super good! I'm sure you and your family will enjoy it." Suddenly an idea came to him, and he got a funny look on his face. "Umm…Kaho-chan…since we're here already, would you like to try some of the other sweets here? They're really good. It won't take long, I promise." He looked embarrassed.

"I really should head home, but…" she hesitated as her eyes slid back to the display case. The sweets seemed to be calling to her, begging for her to eat them. She felt her resolve weaken, and then crumble as she gave in; she couldn't resist their siren call. "Why not? Let's have cake!" she cheered.

The two each ordered one sweet and eagerly applied themselves to their desserts. "Thank you for the food!" they cried out, and dug in. As they ate they talked about the concert the previous night.

"Oh, thank you for the scarf and the cookies Kaho-chan. They were great." He looked at her sheepishly, "I actually finished the last of the cookies off right around when you called."

"It's not good to eat that many sweets so early in the morning," she scolded teasingly.

"Yeah…I guess they were so good, I couldn't stop eating them…" He gave her a winsome smile. "I could eat them all day."

She felt herself blushing. "I-I'm glad you liked them, Hihara-senpai…" she replied shyly. "If you'd like, I'll make them again for your birthday."

"Really? Thank you!" in his excitement, he grabbed both of her hands.

Kahoko turned tomato-red.

"Ah! Sorry!" he exclaimed, quickly dropping them and pulling back with a blush on his face.

_Strange…my hands suddenly feel cold. I kind of miss the warmth._ Her eyes widened slightly. _Wh-what am I thinking?_

"Ah…" Kahoko suddenly remembered herself and looked up at him. "S-so umm…" she paused awkwardly, "Now that I think about it, when is your birthday?"

"Oh, actually, my birthday's already passed. It was December 12."

"Really? I'm so sorry for not doing anything!"

"Ah! It's ok! Everyone was busy preparing for the concert and doing schoolwork, so please, don't worry about it!"

"But…"

Kazuki watched her upset face with concern. Suddenly, he brightened up. "Actually, Kaho-chan, my family usually celebrates my birthday on January 31, my dad's birthday. We kind of do a joint party since our birthdays aren't far apart." He smiled nostalgically. "My grandparents used to come every year for everyone's birthdays, but since they're getting older, we try to make it easier on them by just celebrating the winter birthdays together. That way they don't have to make two trips out." Smiling a bit bashfully, he got to the point. "If it would make you feel better, you can pretend that's my birthday."

"Ok! That sounds good," she smiled at him and took a final, blissful forkful of fruit tart and then glanced at her watch. "Ah, Hihara-senpai, look at the time!"

"Oh! We should probably get you home!"

As they finally came out to the main street, Kazuki saw the bus pull into the stop.

"Quick, Kaho-chan! Or we'll miss the bus!" he shouted, grabbing her wrist as he dashed across the crosswalk.

As they ran across the street, she wished he had grabbed her hand instead of her wrist, even though the current state of contact was already making her heart skip a few beats. It wasn't that he was chafing it. Even if the heels on her boots made them impractical for sprinting, she was somehow managing to keep up without being dragged. _It just seems like that would be more natural…_ Before she could wonder at the thought, they arrived at the other side.

"We made it!" Kazuki sighed in relief, as they quickly climbed into the bus. It was only then that he noticed that he was grabbing her wrist. He supposed he should release it, but he couldn't bring himself to want to as people squeezed in around them. Taking courage, he slowly slipped his hand down her arm until he had enveloped her hand in his. "Do…do you mind?" he asked quietly, trying to maneuver himself so that she would be less squished. "I don't want you to accidentally get left behind."

Kahoko's cheeks glowed bright pink as she ducked her head in embarrassment. "It is pretty crowded," she managed to say; her heart beat overtime as she thought about what was happening.

Throughout the bus ride, every so often, both of them would surreptitiously glance at their hands and each other. It was a miracle—and perhaps a blessing—that their eyes never met.

When they embarked, Kazuki released her hand reluctantly. As the two walked back, he wracked his brain. _**Think of something to say. Think of something to say!**_

Noticing her rubbing her wrist and hand, he asked solemnly, "Did I hurt your wrist?"

She looked up at him with a faint blush; she had been thinking about how nice it had been to hold hands with him. "No, not at all." She looked away from him shyly. "Thank you for looking out for me, Hihara-senpai." With a soft smile, she looked up at him and stated, "If it hadn't been for you, we would have missed the bus."

He beamed back at her in relief. "It was nothing. I didn't want to make your family wait too long." He gave her a friendly wink. "After all, Christmas cake is one of my favorite parts of Christmas."

"Mine too!"

As they laughed, the old camaraderie fell back into place.

"Now that I think about it, when is your birthday, Kaho-chan?"

"Mine is February 27, so it won't be for another couple of months. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, well since you're being so nice and doing something for my birthday, I was thinking that I should do something for you."

"It's fine, Hihara-senpai. You don't have to do anything for me."

"I know, but I want to." Noticing the street, he asked, "Is your house the brown one up on the left?"

"Yes, that's the one." Kahoko smiled up at Kazuki and said, "Thank you for the fun time and the Christmas cake. You really didn't need to buy it for me."

"It was my pleasure. After all, I would feel bad if your family didn't like it after I had so highly recommended it."

She laughed, making his heart leap, "I suppose, although I still feel bad…"

"Hey Kiddo, is that our cake?" Shou poked his head out the door since he had seen them coming up the front walk.

"Yes it is!" Kahoko stated with a grin, lifting up the bag to showcase it slightly. As they arrived outside the door, Kahoko looked up at Kazuki. "Oh, Hihara-senpai, you haven't met my brother, have you?"

"I'm Shou Hino," the red-haired boy stated with a nod, "Nice to meet you." The pale gold flecks in his brown eyes danced in amusement as he added, "Thanks for keeping an eye on my baby sister this morning."

"I'm not a baby!" she pouted with a huff.

"Sure, Kiddo, whatever you say," he replied in a teasingly patronizing tone, as he ruffled her hair. He loved calling her that; it was so funny.

In response, she stuck out her tongue. But despite her wish to remain stern, the moment was such that she broke out into giggles before she had even retracted her tongue all the way, which gave the two boys the cue that it was safe to join her. It also incidentally gave her a chance to sneak payment for the cake into Kazuki's jacket pocket, but that was neither here nor there.

"It was my pleasure," Kazuki responded enthusiastically, his eyes still full of laughter. "It's nice to meet you too. I'm Kazuki Hihara, a third year in the Music Department at Seiso Academy."

"Hihara-san, come in, come in!" Kahoko's mother called out from the entranceway; she had heard the laughter and come out to greet the pair. "You should have a slice of the cake you found for us."

"Ah…Thank you so much for your kind offer, but I really should head home…"

"Oh, nonsense, it'll only take a few minutes. You should have some tea to warm up" she insisted.

"But…"

"No buts about it, Hihara-san. Please come in," Kahoko's mother half-ordered.

"Thank you Hino-san," he glanced at Kahoko and blushed.

_**Could she tell how much I wanted to stay with Kaho-chan?**_

"Excuse me for intruding!" he called out.

"Oh, Hihara-kun! Welcome!" Kahoko's father looked up from his newspaper and smiled at the boy.

"It's nice to see you again, Hino-sensei."

Shou's eyebrows went up in surprise as the two struck up an easy conversation. It wasn't that his dad was unfriendly or anything, but he usually didn't talk to his children's friends. Sliding over to Noriko, he tapped her shoulder and murmured under his breath, "Is this guy Kaho's boyfriend or something? It seems like mom and dad know him fairly well."

"He's not her boyfriend, at least not yet. She's trying to figure her feelings out," Noriko murmured back. "He's super sweet though. I hope she chooses him."

While he watched the newcomer interact with his baby sister, he couldn't help but smile. They _were_ cute. He shook his head and thought, "_Only Kaho is dense enough not to see that he worships the ground she walks on…I can see why Noriko hopes that Kaho will choose him. I think he'd be good for her._"

When Kazuki was about to leave, he noticed his gift on the coffee table.

"Kaho-chan, did you open that box over there?" he asked, pointing across the room.

"Huh?" she followed his pointed finger. "Oh, no...Actually, we were all wondering where that box had come from."

"Oh…I see…Ah…Actually, I brought it over to give to you, but then your computer crashed, so I guess it got forgotten in all of the excitement."

"You got me another present?" She looked at him in surprise. Quickly walking over to it, she picked it up and sat down. "Hihara-senpai, this is really too much!" As she carefully pulled back the tape from the top of the white box, her heart thrilled. What mysteries were contained inside?

Everyone gasped in admiration when she unveiled the gift. She pulled out what looked like an egg with a dome-shaped base underneath it. It was made of a light metal colored a pale, pastel green with silver leaf-like accents; small rhinestones were studded in the shiny metal in the middle of each leaf.

"It's a music box," Kazuki explained in embarrassment. It was slightly daunting to have the whole family staring at his present. He sat down next to Kahoko on the loveseat and slowly opened the lid of the Fabergé-style box.

Kahoko watched the delicate, lithe, porcelain angel playing a violin twirl slowly as the snow softly whirled around her in the water globe. The snow danced and tripped lightly on the air in time with the cheerful, lilting _Gavotte_, sweetly framing the angel's smile in a halo of white.

_This is amazing…It's so beautiful…It's almost like the angel is playing _Gavotte_._

Kahoko turned to Kazuki with a rapturous expression on her face. Then, she leaned toward him and placed her hand on his. Giving it a squeeze, she earnestly stated, "Thank you Hihara-senpai! I love it!"

"Y-Y-You're welcome!" Kazuki stammered, shocked but pleased at her response.

Suddenly she noticed her hand and drew it back, blushing. "I-I'm so sorry Hihara-senpai! I-I don't know what came over me..."

"Ah…don't worry about it, Kaho-chan. Uh, umm…err…well…uh…I-I should go." He turned and smiled a bit sheepishly at the rest of the family. "Thank you for a wonderful morning." He bowed. "I hope you all will have a Merry Christmas!" he called out as he left.

Noriko turned around and grinned down at her camera. On the review screen was a picture of Kahoko with her eyes shining and brightly smiling with her hand on Kazuki's as he looked back at her in astonishment. "_These two are so cute!_"

* * *

**I based the music box off of a couple of different ideas. I really wanted to do a snow/water globe with an angel playing a violin inside, but I also really wanted this box to have some kind of lid to make it more like the box that Kazuki had fixed in the anime. Just today, actually, I stumbled across a picture of a Faberg****é**** egg-like music box, and it solved all my problems. (^_^)v Here's a picture of it: bradfordexchange…com/products/107953001_granddaughter-music-box…html. The outside of the fictional box is the same as the real box minus that the crystals were replaced with a few rhinestones (Kazuki isn't exactly loaded), there's no inscription, and the box is primarily green instead of blue. The blue reminded me too much of Len's hair, so I changed it. *laughs***

**If there are any **_**Hana Yori Dango**_** fans out there, Kahoko's outfit is Tsukushi's outfit when she went on that date with Hanazawa Rui in season 1 of the Japanese drama. (^_^) I really liked that outfit.**

**Oh right. The cake is based off of these two. I liked the stump and the frosting in the first one, and the rest of the cake in the second: notaballerina... com (slash) 2011/12/christmas-in-japan-odd-kind-of...html (append the "****w"****s in front or it won't work) and yunphoto... net (slash) en/photobase/yp2933...html. I changed the chestnuts to strawberries though. It seems they've made their filtering smarter, so apologies.  
**

**I would hate to be trapped in my story. It's been winter there for like the last year! Hopefully I can make it spring soon so people can stop trudging through snow. We have one more day of Christmas, and then we'll be close to the end of 2007!**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	35. Light in the Darkness

**And here's the second installment for today. We're on our final Christmas chapter. It really is a pity it's like 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside. It kind of ruins it.**

* * *

"_What am I doing here so early?_" Megumi thought, standing outside of the concert hall. "_It's not like I'd get a chance to see him if I'm this early._" She checked her watch again and fidgeted with her dress. She sighed. "_What am I doing here? I should be with everyone else visiting Papa in the hospital, not hanging around an empty concert hall!_"

"Shouji-san?"

Megumi's eyes widened as she turned to look at Len. Suddenly nervous, she gave a quick bow. "Tsu-Tsukimori-senpai! Ah, It-it's nice to see you!"

"Len, is this one of your friends from school?" Len's mother asked, climbing out of the car behind him.

"This is Megumi Shouji. We worked together for the children's clinic yesterday," he explained briefly.

Megumi bowed. "I-I play piano also…It's an honor to meet you."

Len's mother smiled at the girl. "I'm glad to have met another of Len's school friends. Did you come for the concert?"

"Y-yes," flushing a dull red, she added ruefully, "Although it seems that I've arrived dreadfully early…"

With a kind smile, Len's mother invited, "In that case, would you like to hear us warm up and practice for a bit?"

"Y-you would really let me sit in on your practice?" Megumi looked so excited that she could faint.

"_I can't believe I'm this close to Misa Hamai! Won't Papa be so thrilled when I tell him!_"

"Len, why don't you show Shouji-san where she can sit?"

Len bowed. "As you wish mother." He nodded to Megumi, who bowed hastily to Len's parents before quickly following after him. They entered the building in silence, eventually stopping somewhere in the center. "You can sit here," he motioned to a seat. It should give you both a good view of the stage in addition to a rich sound."

"Th-thank you, Tsukimori-senpai," Megumi whispered shyly.

Len nodded and walked backstage to prepare.

Megumi shifted in her seat, nervous. "_As honored as I am to be able to sit and listen to them rehearse…I can't help but feel a bit daunted by the enormity of this concert hall. It's so different when it's empty._" She stared up at the black expanse which she knew should be a domed ceiling. In the darkness though, it seemed to be looming in over her, as if ready to engulf her. She shivered slightly, hugging herself as her eyes darted nervously, trying to find something—anything—that she could use to distract herself from the ominous ceiling.

Suddenly, the sounds of a violin being tuned cut through the darkness, casting a ray of light into the darkness. Soon after, the strains of a warm-up exercise followed, bringing familiarity and warmth in addition to increasing light.

She leaned back, soaking in the warmth and beauty of the melody. Even without seeing him, she knew who was playing. "_Tsukimori-senpai…_" she thought, losing herself in the pleasant embrace of the song around her.

~ (u . u) ~

The concert had been glorious. The playing of Misa Hamai and her husband had been wonderful, but both her eyes and heart were ruled by Len and his violin. The sheer skill coupled with this newfound softness brought tears to her eyes and made her heart yearn to hear more of it.

"_I'm being ridiculous…What am I _doing_ here? There's no way that he would want flowers!_" she chided herself as she approached the dressing rooms after the show amidst the sea of reporters. Just as she was about to give up and leave, Misa Hamai departed from the dressing room followed by her husband. As they walked toward the reporters, Megumi saw Len sneak out the back.

"_Ah! I've got to catch up to him!_" she thought as she raced down the corridor away from the reporters to get outside. But by the time she had made her way around the building though, he was nowhere to be seen.

*sigh* "And I had wanted so much to congratulate him…"* she said wistfully to the cold night air.

"Shouji-san?" Len stepped out of the shadows of a nearby alcove.

"Ah! Tsukimori-senpai!" Megumi squeaked in surprise.

"Were you looking for someone?" he asked. Then noticing the flowers in her arms, he inquired, "Are those for my mother? Is that who you wanted to congratulate?"*

"Ah…" Megumi's breath caught. Under the moonlight Len looked dashing, mysterious, and in some ways, dangerous. The moonlight glinted off his icy blue hair and his golden eyes seemed to glow. Regaining some measure of composure she stammered, "A-actually…I-I w-wanted t-to give these t-t-to you…Tsukimori-senpai."

_**Those are for me?**_

Len was taken aback. While he didn't particularly care much for flowers in and of themselves, he knew what they signified. His voice softening ever so slightly he asked, "Did you enjoy the performance?"

"Oh yes!" her face lit up. "It was amazing! I knew that you were brilliant, Tsukimori-senpai, but I had never realized just how wonderfully you played." She continued to ramble on, "You were amazing in the concours, but tonight your playing was absolutely phenomenal! The music transported me to a place of beauty and wonder; it pierced my heart and made me long to listen to it forever…"

Len's eyes widened. _**She thought that highly of my music?**_ For a precious split-second, he felt his heart swell. At last, he was truly learning to capture the sweetness that had always eluded him. But before long, his old doubts crept in again._** No, that can't be…it was probably **_**their **_**music that she enjoyed so much, not mine…**_

As if reading his thoughts, she continued without missing a beat, "Your parents play beautifully also. When they play together, you can tell they're in love. Their sound is warmer and sweeter than when either of them plays alone." She hugged the flowers to herself a little bit, thinking of her own parents. "When you play with them, their playing changes. The love and pride they feel toward you as their son laces their music. If you're listening carefully, you can pick out the difference between your violin and your father's." She smiled up at him in excitement. "Your music to me is more powerful, full of the promises of untapped potential. I could have listened to it all night without tiring of it."

Len stared at her in shock.

Megumi took a step back, covering her mouth with her hand and hiding her furiously blushing face with the bouquet. "_What…What am I saying? How stupid must I sound chattering away like that…He must be disgusted with me for talking about his music in such a manner, who am I to offer a critique of a performance of such high caliber? I probably sounded like I was trying to flatter him!_" Megumi felt tears of misery spring to her eyes.

Suddenly the flowers were taken from her hands and her prince looked solemnly into her glistening eyes. "…Thank you…for the flowers," he murmured softly. He looked away. Inside, he felt at peace. He truly was learning.

"_He accepted my flowers!_" Her heart rejoiced.

"Y-you're welcome," she whispered softly, shyly averting her gaze.

As they stood together in silence, the snow fell softly around them.

* * *

**Wow. I did not realize that this chapter was this short. But at the same time, I'm not really sure how to make it longer. Although, I suppose even if I did, I'd be too lazy to implement the changes. *laughs***

***In Japanese, sometimes subjects and objects (of verbs) are a little ambiguous. So while in English Megumi said, "And I had wanted so much to congratulate ****him****…" in Japanese, it would have been more like, "And I had wanted so much to congratulate [that person]…" That's why Len wasn't sure whom she wanted to congratulate.**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	36. For Love of the Clarinet

**And here's the third chapter. If I finish the fourth today, then I'll post it. Otherwise, it shall come some other day.**

* * *

"Mmm! This cake is amazing! Hihara-senpai is the one who told you about this shop?" Mio asked, licking some cake crumbs from the corner of her mouth.

"Yup! And after this one there are two more, so get ready!" Kahoko grinned.

"Two more stores after this? Aren't we having a bit too much cake?" Nao questioned.

"Ah~! After eating all this cake, I'll need to go on a diet!" cried Nami, dramatically collapsing further into her chair.

"B-but it is very delicious, isn't it…? And…and we're really not eating that much at each individual store since we all split the signature desserts Hihara-senpai suggested," Shouko murmured quietly.

"That's very true," Manami smiled. "Between the six of us, we really only eat maybe half a dessert." Doing the math in her head she stated, "I guess we'll end up eating two desserts today, so it is a bit extravagant, but hey, what are celebrations for?"

The lunch group had decided to get together over the holidays and go visit various cafés and cake shops. Since Kahoko had Kazuki's list, they decided to try a few of them out for themselves. If this shop was any indication of the rest of the list, then all of the places he had picked were winners.

As they walked to their next stop, Nami spied a flash of silver around Kahoko's neck. "Hey Hino-chan, is that a new necklace?"

"Oooh! It's beautiful, Kaho-chan!" Mio gushed as the other girls nodded in agreement.

"Did you get it from Tsukimori-kun?" Nami asked with a certain gleam in her eye.

"Wh-what makes you say that, Amou-san?" Kahoko blushed furiously, remembering the events surrounding the receipt of the necklace.

"He's the obvious choice. Yunoki-senpai and Tsuchiura-kun now have sweethearts, and jewelry is too meaningful a gift to give to anyone, isn't that right, _Mori-san_?" Nami asked the pianist, sending her a droll wink.

Manami blushed and averted her eyes. Self-consciously, she touched the golden necklace with a piano charm that circled her neck. Ryoutaro had given it to her after the Christmas Eve concert.

"Also, if you look at it a bit more closely," Nami continued matter-of-factly, "You can tell that it's made by a superb craftsman and has gems studding the surface. Hihara-senpai and Shimizu-kun wouldn't be able to afford something of that quality."

"That's, that's not true!" Kahoko burst out heatedly, "Hihara-senpai got me the most exquisite music box!" She stopped up short, raising her hand as if to cover her mouth.

_Why did I burst out like that? I…I couldn't stand to hear Amou-san imply that Hihara-senpai is poor or cheap…but…but why was I _so_ angry?_

"Oh? So it's between Tsukimori-kun and Hihara-senpai?" Nami's eyes glinted.

"Uh…umm…" Shouko looked around wildly for a distraction. She owed Kahoko for saving her when they went shopping last time. Distracting Nami was the least she could do for her senpai who had landed herself in so much trouble for her sake. As her eyes alighted on someone, she did something she almost never ever did: call someone over. "Shi-Shi-Shimizu-kun! O-o-over here!" Shouko managed to call out in desperation, hoping that Keiichi's appearance would be able to divert the conversation.

"Huh?" All the girls turned and saw that indeed, Keiichi was steadily walking toward them.

"Hello…everyone…"

"Ah! What a coincidence, Shimizu-kun!" Kahoko exclaimed, pouncing on the opportunity Shouko had given her.

_Thank you Fuyuumi-chan! I am eternally grateful!_

"Yes…Are you here…to eat…?"

"Ah…Y-yes…D-d-do you come here o-often?" Shouko stuttered.

Keiichi looked at Shouko solemnly. "Yes…The sandwiches here…are…very good…"

Nao flipped open her cell phone. "Since it is about lunch time, why don't we actually have some real food instead of just eating cake?"

Everyone agreed and filed into the café.

~ (^~^) ~

"Why is it taking so long?" Nami grumbled.

"Who knows…" Kahoko murmured, stirring her drink with her straw.

"Umm…I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid your food will take a bit longer…" the waiter looked very flustered. "You see…we've recently come under new management, so we're still trying to adjust…and our head chef is just swamped trying to keep up with the new dishes…" Suddenly, he noticed Kahoko, Shouko, and Keiichi. "Wait, aren't you participants from the Christmas Eve concert at Seiso Academy? My niece goes there."

Shouko and Kahoko looked at each other and nodded an affirmative. Keiichi had already fallen asleep, his cheek pressed against the clear glass surface of the table.

"I-I know this is a bit sudden, but…" he bit his lip, "If you would happen to have your instruments, would you mind playing?" His eyes looked desperate. "We really can't afford to lose customers. It took us so long to build up a good reputation…" he begged.

Both girls' hearts went out to the poor waiter. He looked so wretched.

Kahoko smiled regretfully at the man before apologizing, "I'm so sorry, but I actually don't have my violin on hand…"

"But…umm…uh…" Shouko continued from where Kahoko left off, "I-I guess I can play for you…" she timidly whispered. She quietly looked down at the clarinet she had brought with her to take to her lesson later that afternoon.

"Thank you so much!" the waiter exclaimed. He looked half-ready to burst into tears.

Turning to one of the other girls at the table, Shouko stammered, "Ah…umm…M-Mori-senpai, could…could I possibly bother you for some accompaniment?"

"Of course," the sandy-brown-haired girl responded cheerfully, having noted the presence of a small upright piano in the corner when they had entered. "But if you don't mind, could you stick to the pieces you played for the concours? I just don't want to be caught unaware, and I've played all those pieces in before."

"O-of course," Shouko responded, forcing a resolute smile to her face. "I'll play the songs I used in the concours going backward." She could feel herself shaking in her boots. Impromptu concerts were not really her thing.

"Ok. So _Clarinet Polka_, Robert Schumann's _Three Romances Op. 94, No.2_, Saint-Saëns' _Romance_, and…" She struggled to remember. "It was a song by Max Reger, wasn't it?"

"Yes, that's right," she nodded timidly. "_Romance in G major_."

"Ok!" the older girl smiled brightly at her. "In that case, we're all set." Standing up, she smiled reassuringly at the younger girl. "Shall we?"

Shouko slowly took the stage, with Manami taking a seat on the side at the brown, upright piano.

_Ok, deep breath now Shouko. Calm yourself. Try not to be nervous._

She started to play the Polish folk song _Clarinet Polka_. She got off to a very bad start. Da-da-da-da-*SQUEAK!* Her face turned red in mortification.

_Oh no!_ She closed her eyes in shame, closing in on herself. She opened her eyes for just a second and saw Keiichi's sleeping face.

*flashback*

"Fuyuumi…san…"

Shouko's eyes widened, as she slowly turned to look at the blonde-haired youth.

"You played…beautifully…today…It was a…very refreshing…performance… It made me feel…like spring had come…" Keiichi murmured.

*going to a different scene*

_Come on, Shouko. Like the swan that you see before you, you need to be strong and spread your wings to fly. The swan seems so free, free and beautiful._

*end flashback*

_That's, that's right._ Shouko's grip tightened on her clarinet. She straightened up looking more determined. _Like that swan, I need to be strong. I messed up, but I can be strong and face this._ She took a deep breath and began her song again (youtube…com/watch?v=HQCh2M3j_4c). As the notes floated through the restaurant, people's grumbling quieted. Soon many of the patrons were smiling, listening to the dainty, happy music as it danced lithely upon the air.

_That's right…Just keep going like this. Like a bird, dainty, carefree, and beautiful—that's how I want to play. I want to be the kind of person that can inspire people with my music like Kaho-senpai. I want people to enjoy my music. I want to create a desire to hear more beautiful music in my listeners._

She opened her eyes to a loud applause. Encouraged by the response, she took a deep breath before launching into Robert Schumann's _Three Romances Op. 94, No.2_ (youtube...com (slash) watch?v=PXGX4YgVtag).

Bolstered again by her appreciative audience, she softly blew out the smooth, mellow notes of Saint-Saëns' _Romance_ (youtube...com (slash) watch?v=tZwUGcVHsEE). She reveled in the light, floating quality of the notes as they wove around the room.

As the song closed, the doors to the kitchen flew open. The waiter flashed her a grateful look as tray after tray of food flooded out of the kitchen toward the different tables. Shouko smiled and closed her eyes.

_I'm glad I was able to help that poor waiter. It sounds like everyone is having a good time again. I think I'm getting one step closer to my goal._

As she opened her light pink eyes, she saw a hand. Her eyes traced up the arm until they met angelic blue-green eyes.

_Shimizu-kun?_

Unbeknownst to the two first years, the other girls were buzzing in excitement at the little scene taking place before them. Part way through Shouko's performance, Keiichi had woken up. The look on his face as he watched Shouko play was heart-meltingly sweet.

*flashback*

What a lovely sound…My heart feels light. It's as if the song is weaving a spell around the restaurant leaving happiness and mirth in its wake. It's a cute, playful song. This is Fuyuumi-san's music, isn't it? Lately, I find myself drawn to Fuyuumi-san's music. I wonder why… As the next song started, he smiled and rested his head on his hand. When she's calm, her music flows out of her so naturally. It relaxes me and makes me want to keep listening and listening…

As the song came to a close, he stood up and walked toward her.

I want to congratulate her. She played so wonderfully.

He held out his hand to her, and their eyes met.

*end flashback*

"That was magnificent…Fuyuumi-san…You played…so beautifully…" He smiled at her, causing a blush to flit across her cheeks. "I hope…I'll get to hear…more…of your music…soon…"

Shouko modestly lowered her eyes in embarrassment. "Thank you…Shimizu-kun," she whispered, taking his hand and stepping off the stage.

He then offered her her clarinet case. "Here…you'll…want to…put that away…carefully…"

She nodded. _How considerate of him. Shimizu-kun has such gentlemanly manners._ She stifled a slight giggle. _Well, except for his always falling asleep in the most inopportune places._ (^_^; ) She looked down at her clarinet, touching the pieces lovingly before closing the case. _Thank you for playing well for me. We made a good team._

"You…really love…the clarinet…don't you…?"

Shouko blushed and shyly whispered, so that only the two of them could hear, "I-I guess I do…"

Smiling in satisfaction, he escorted her back to the table and carefully stowed her clarinet next to her.

* * *

**Finally! We're in the new year! Well, I suppose 2008 isn't considered a new year to us anymore, but it is to them!**

**This chapter is based off of atemfan1's "Dreaming." Aren't they cute? (^_^)  
**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	37. The Basketball Fiasco

**Oh happy day (or night)! My chapter didn't take 6 months to write! Back to school we go!**

* * *

"Hino-san?" Manami looked up in surprise as she saw her friend standing at the door of her classroom.

"Hello, Mori-san." Kahoko waved a little awkwardly. Even though many of the Music Department students had accepted her after her performance in the concours, she somehow still didn't feel all that comfortable wandering the halls of this particular wing of the school. "How are you? Did you have a good rest of the winter vacation?"

"It was wonderful! Thanks for inviting me to go café hopping. It was fun."

"Of course! Hey, I was wondering, have you seen Hihara-senpai?"

"Hihara-senpai?" As she thought, she lightly bit the knuckle of her finger in a gesture that Ryoutaro secretly found endearing. "I don't think I've seen him yet today, why?"

Kahoko lifted a small parcel. "I've got a thank you card and a thank you lunch from my family. Everyone has really enjoyed the music box that he gave me for Christmas. I don't think a day goes by that someone doesn't open it."

"Ah, I see." Manami hid a knowing smile. "Your family seems to have taken quite a liking to Hihara-senpai. I didn't realize that they knew each other."

"There were a couple of times that he came over to help me with things and they met." Kahoko smiled, "But I'd better go find him. My mother will have a fit if I don't give him this lunch she specially prepared!"

Manami laughed. "Alright, alright. I'll see you at the usual lunch spot?"

"Yes."

"See you then!"

"Bye!" Kahoko waved, heading down the hall.

_Maybe he'll be in his classroom? Which one was it…_ Spying a sign up ahead, she perked up. _Oh! I think that might be it! I think I remember the concours' announcer saying that he was in Class 3-B…_ Kahoko poked her head in. _I don't see any sign of him…_ *sigh* _Oh well…_

"Are you looking for Kazuki, Hino-san?" a voice asked from out of nowhere.

Kahoko jumped a mile into the air. "Ha-Hasegawa-senpai!" She put her hand over her heart. "Please don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry! My bad, my bad!" he apologized. With a small smile he added, "But if you're looking for Kazuki, he's in the gym. Some friends of his wanted to play some basketball."

"Oh! Thank you Hasegawa-senpai!" Kahoko waved as she ran toward the basketball courts.

"_Hmm…Maybe they are dating after all. It looks like she may have brought him a homemade boxed lunch!_" Tsukasa thought. Grinning, he leaned against his desk, looking out the window toward the gym. "_Good going, Kazuki!_"

~ b(^_^)d ~

_Gym, gym…it should be around here somewhere… There it is!_

Kahoko stopped in front of a building and slowly opened the door. When she poked her head in, she was assaulted by warm air filled with the squeaky sounds of sneakers sliding on the hardwood floor. She could see ten boys running up and down the court, completely focused on the game. As she slipped inside, she watched as Kazuki leapt into the air, easily sinking a basket.

"Alright! Way to go Hihara!" one of his teammates yelled.

"That was a killer fade-away shot!" another complimented, giving him a high-five.

_Hihara-senpai looks so relaxed. I knew he was good at basketball, but he's practicing with people in the basketball club!_ Her eyes followed him for a few more minutes before she wistfully tore them away. _I wish I could stay and watch. It looks like they're having a lot of fun._ Looking around, she spied his trumpet case on the far side of the court. _I'll put his lunch down over by his things so I don't disturb him. The thank you card should explain everything._

Kahoko walked over to the other side of the court and placed her parcel next to Kazuki's jacket and trumpet case.

"Watch out!" Kazuki's voice rang out as she straightened up.

"Huh?" she turned to see a basketball flying through the air just before it collided with her face, knocking her to the ground.

"Kaho-chan!" Kazuki rushed to her side and knelt down beside her. "Are you ok? Do you have any injuries? Where did the ball hit you?"

"I-I th-think so…" Kahoko replied, dazedly answering the first question. She reached up to gingerly touch a bump that was forming on the side of her head. "Ouch…" she hissed, wincing in pain.

Reaching over to move her hand away, he examined the small mound. "You should get that bump looked at. Would you like me to take you to the nurse's office?" he asked as he placed her hand back on the floor to help steady her.

"No, I-I can get there on my own…" Kahoko stood up unsteadily to wobble toward the door. Just as her first shaky step began to send her again to the floor, Kazuki scooped her up in his arms in one fluid movement.

_Hi-Hihara-senpai?_ She looked up at him in shock and surprise. A blush swept across her face, making her look feverish.

The others in the room started whispering, eyeing the pair.

"You can hardly stand Kaho-chan!" he scolded, his eyes full of concern. "At least let me carry you to the nurse's office. I don't want you to get hurt on the way there. There's still snow and ice on the ground." The intensity of his gaze bored into her. "You could slip and fall."

"But…" Kahoko started to protest.

_Ugh…I'm feeling even more lightheaded than when the ball first hit me…but is it because of the basketball…or because Hihara-senpai is so close…?_

_**I've got to get Kaho-chan to the nurse. She could have a concussion!**_

Kazuki strode quickly and effortlessly across the room and out the door as if she didn't weigh a thing. As her head slowly began to clear, she became more aware of the man whose arms were cradling her. _Hihara-senpai has a pleasant scent…it's very masculine, yet has a gentleness to it…kind of like Hihara-senpai himself…And who'd have thought he'd be so strong! His arms are…Wait! What am I thinking? What is wrong with me?_

Shaking her head, she protested again, "Hi-Hihara-senpai, I'm fine really! Y-you don't have to keep carrying me!"

He paused mid-stride. With a concerned look in his eyes, he looked down at her and asked, "Are you sure?"

Still blushing furiously from embarrassment since people in the quad were starting to notice them, she firmly responded, "Yes. Please put me down, Hihara-senpai."

Kazuki gently set her down and looked at the ground in embarrassment, realizing only now how forward he had been. "Kaho-chan…I-I'm sorry!" He bowed. "That was a bit much, wasn't it? I'm sorry for embarrassing you like that!"

_**Argh! Why are you such an idiot, Kazuki? Half the time you try to be helpful, you just end up embarrassing her and making her distressed! What's wrong with you?**_

"Ah, please raise your head, Hihara-senpai! You did nothing wrong! I…I just don't feel lightheaded anymore, so I didn't want to continue to trouble you…"

"Are you sure?" Kazuki asked with eyes that radiated his concern for her.

"Y-yes…I-I'll be fine…"

_My heart is beating so fast and so hard! It's like it's going to beat out of my chest! Quiet down! I-I can't think! What's happening to me?_

He looked more relieved. "I'm sorry about that. If I had intercepted the ball, it wouldn't have hit you." He smiled apologetically and scratched the back of his head. "Since it's kind of dangerous, we tend to leave our stuff strewn along that area to discourage people from going over there."

They looked at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before speaking at the same time.

"I…"

"I…"

"…"

"You first, Hihara-senpai."

"No, go ahead, Kaho-chan."

"Ah…umm…thank you for taking care of me…" She smiled bit embarrassedly and continued, "My head _was_ reeling for a bit."

"Ah…" Kazuki blushed and mumbled, "Y-you're welcome."

"W-well…I-I should go eat my lunch…I'll see you around…Hihara-senpai…" Kahoko whispered softly and awkwardly.

"Uh, right…Bye…" Kazuki replied lamely.

They parted ways, blushing furiously.

* * *

**Yay! Another Kazuki x Kahoko! I'm so glad!**

**This chapter was taken from a dating simulation game my friend introduced me to called, "RE-Alistair++." One of the characters (Derek) is on the basketball team, and this lovely scene happens to Merui (played by you). It's a great game and completely free. (^_^) Unfortunately, Derek is my least favorite guy, but when you're playing his storyline, he's very sweet like Kazuki.**

**The next chapter will probably be more of a friendship chapter than a romantic one. I feel like it's been awhile since Kahoko had any good relationship talk with her girl friends.**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	38. Flash

**This didn't turn out quite the way I had planned, but hopefully it's not too bad. (^_^) For some reason, I'm feeling extra inspired, so that should translate to shorter waiting times in-between chapters. (^_^) Cross your fingers!**

* * *

_What happened?_ Kahoko closed her eyes in confusion. For the past day, all that had plagued her mind had been what happened in the gym.

"Hino-cha~n!"

"Oh no…" she groaned. Nami was a good friend, but she was _not_ whom Kahoko wanted to see right now. And to think that she had come to the roof in order to find a private space where she could try and make sense of everything.

_Alright, Kahoko, brace yourself._

"How are you, Amou-san?" she asked, a polite smile fixed on her face.

"I'm doing well, but right now, I'd like to talk about _you_," Nami stated as she brushed off some snow so she could also sit on the bench.

"M-me? Why?" she asked, dread filling her stomach. Maybe she didn't hear? That was a stupid thought. Of course she had heard.

"I heard that something happened yesterday that involved you and a certain green-haired trumpeter…" Her smile widened. "And compounded with the hot chocolate secret, it'd make for a _very_ interesting story, wouldn't you say?"

Kahoko looked slightly pained and irritated at the same time.

"Hino-chan…?" Nami asked, with a puzzled, yet concerned look on her face.

Kahoko clenched her fists in her lap. She burst out in one breath, "A basketball hit me in the head; I had trouble walking; Hihara-senpai carried me part way to the nurse's office." She added in tired, defeated voice, "There's your story."

Nami looked quietly at her friend. "_Hino-chan…This is really weighing heavily on you, isn't it?_"

Nami looked up at the sky and started talking as if to herself, "Romance is a funny thing, isn't it?"

Kahoko looked surprised.

With a quick smile at her friend, Nami resumed talking to herself. "Every girl seems to want it, but sometimes it brings times of confusion and pain." She fiddled with her skirt for a minute. "During those times you can't help but wonder if it's worth it." With those last words, she pushed herself off the bench and began to walk away. "I'll see you around, Hino-chan."

"Amou-san…"

"Hmm?" The girl turned around.

"Thank you…" Kahoko whispered.

Nami smiled back and waved.

Kahoko looked up at the sky. _Romance…is that what this is?_ She closed her eyes and sat there for a bit, thinking about it. Before she could reach much of a conclusion, a voice cut through her thoughts.

"Hino?"

She opened her eyes, and her golden eyes met Len's fellow gold. "Tsukimori-kun?"

"You shouldn't be sitting out in this cold air without gloves on. Your fingers will become stiff and the skin will chap, making it harder to play."

"Oh…right, thank you." She slowly stood up and headed for the door.

Once they were both in the stairwell, he cleared his throat again. "Oh, and Hino…"

"Yes?"

He looked at her seriously. "Are you free this afternoon? There is a duet Ousaki-senpai would like for us to try."

She looked at him in surprise. "A duet for Ousaki-senpai?"

"Yes," he proceeded to explain as they walked down the stairs, "Since the clinic we ran on Christmas Eve was such a success, he wanted us to come in and do a little clinic on duets for his intermediate students next month."

"Oh!" Kahoko smiled, "That sounds great!"

He gave a short nod. "So do you have any plans for Valentine's day?"

_Valentine's Day? Why is Tsukimori-kun asking me if I'm free on Valentine's Day?_ Remembering their almost kiss, her eyes widened. _He…He couldn't possibly…!_

"The clinic is being held on Valentine's Day in the evening for a few hours to give the parents a little time to themselves," his voice reigned in her reeling thoughts.

"Oh…I-I see…That's really thoughtful of Ousaki-senpai, isn't it…?" She laughed nervously.

_Good grief Kahoko! You're turning into a basket case! Just because Tsukimori-kun asked you what you were doing on Valentine's Day isn't any reason for you to get all jumpy._

"Hino?"

"Ah! Yes? !" Kahoko squeaked, taken a bit off guard.

"Are you willing to help?"

"Oh! Yes, of course."

He inclined his head slightly, taking his leave. "Then, I'll meet you at the front gate after class for practice."

"Right."

As Len walked away, Kahoko ran back to class.

~ ( O . O )! ~

_Ugh…Why did the wind have to pick _now_ to blow so hard? I wonder how long I've been waiting here…_

Kahoko shivered, pressing her back against the cold brick wall to try and avoid more of the wind.

"Kaho-chan! How're you feeling? Is your head all better?" Kazuki seemed to pop out of thin air.

"Hi-Hihara-senpai!" Managing to regain her composure, she answered, "I'm doing much better thank you." She smiled shyly in response to his look of genuine concern.

"Good, good. Are you waiting for someone?"

"Uh…yeah…"

He frowned slightly when he saw how cold she looked. "How long have you been waiting?"

"A little bit now…" she admitted.

"You should go inside where it's warmer. Whoever it is can call you," he urged.

"I'm really alright just waiting here."

"But you could easily catch cold standing around when it's this cold out."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Hihara-senpai," she assured him.

Kazuki spied Len briskly walking toward them. "Hey, Tsukimori! Help me convince Kaho-chan that she should wait inside. It's too cold to be waiting out here. Her fingers could stiffen."

"Umm…Hihara-senpai…"

For once, Kazuki didn't notice her. "You've _got_ to help me convince her!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands on Len's shoulders.

"Uh, Hihara-senpai?" Kahoko piped up again.

"Hmm? Yes?"

"I was waiting for Tsukimori-kun actually."

"Oh! Sorry!" He quickly retracted his hands.

"It's fine. Let's go, Hino." Len turned to leave.

"Bye Hihara-senpai!" Kahoko turned and waved as she caught up to the blue-haired youth.

~ (^_^)/ ~

"Excuse me for intruding!" Kahoko called out, walking into the Tsukimori household.

Len took her upstairs to a spacious practice room. After shrugging his jacket off, he grabbed a score and a spare music stand and handed them to her. "Here is your part. Of the two parts, it is simpler, but there is one somewhat tricky section near the end." He picked up his violin. "I'll play it for you so you can hear it for yourself."

As always, he played masterfully. Kahoko listened carefully while following the notes on the score with her eyes. He nodded to her to signal that the difficult section was about to start. Kahoko could feel dread start to grip her as he continued to play.

_That's a lot of notes to get out in such a short period of time! My bowing technique has never been the greatest…_

Len lowered his violin, studying her face. "I can help you with that section. If we work on it together then you should be able to do it easily when the time comes."

_Oh good! What a relief!_

Kahoko's mood brightened. "Thank you, Tsukimori-kun! I'll do my best!"

For the next hour, Len coached her as she went through the easier sections of the song. Finally, they paused long enough for a quick water break.

"Hey, Tsukimori-kun, do you by any chance have a recording of the song? It would be nice to hear both parts so I have a better image of the song in my head as I play it."

"There should be a recording of it somewhere on this shelf…" He walked toward a bookcase that was stuffed with scores and CDs. "Ousaki-senpai specially made a cassette recording of it for our use…"

*Ring Ring*

"I'll be right back."

Kahoko nodded as Len strode out of the room to pick up the phone call downstairs. For a minute or two, she relaxed.

_Hmm…he's taking awhile. I guess it must have been an important phone call. I'll look for that recording myself; it shouldn't be too hard to find since it's a cassette tape instead of a CD._

After much searching, she finally spied a lone cassette tape, but it was just out of reach. Why were these boys so much taller than she was? She dragged over the piano bench and climbed onto it.

_Ok! Got it! Huh? What's that up there?_

Something was flashing into her eyes. Out of curiosity, she reached up to grab the offending object, extending her height slightly by rising up on her toes.

_Almost…have it…Just a little further…_

"What are you doing?" Len's voice cut through her concentration, startling her and causing her to lose her footing on the slick piano bench as she turned to face him.

"Ah!" she plummeted toward the floor.

*CRASH*

"Ugh…" Len groaned, having broken Kahoko's fall. Unfortunately, it landed them in the awkward position of being on top of each other, face to face. "Are you ok?"

"I-I'm ok…are you?" Kahoko asked, concerned. Her brain had not yet caught up to the fact that she was lying on top of him.

"Yeah…I think I hit my head though…Give me a minute…" he lifted himself up on one arm.

"I-I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to…"

"I know…" Len winced. "Hino…could you please get off of me?"

*BLUSH!* "Ah! I'm so sorry!" Kahoko quickly scrambled off of him and leapt to her feet.

Len rose with a soft groan. "Thank you…"

They stood awkwardly in silence.

"Uh…" She blushed. "It's…it's getting kind of late. I should probably head home…" Waving the cassette in the air she muttered, "I'm going to borrow this recording if it's ok with you…"

Len nodded with averted eyes. "That sounds like a good idea. Have a good night."

"Right…" Kahoko packed up her scores, cassette tape, and violin and headed toward the door. She paused just inside the doorway, "Umm, Tsukimori-kun?"

"Yes?" He still looked a bit dazed.

"Uh, maybe from now on we could practice at school…?"

"Of course," he mumbled.

"Then…bye."

"Bye."

* * *

**And that's a wrap. For some reason, I've been in a very anti-Len x Kahoko mood lately, so I'm relieved that according to the outline I drafted for this story, this is the very last Len x Kahoko chapter I'm writing. We can go full steam ahead with our number one pairing (finally)! There will be little side interludes to wrap up some loose ends, but things are going to start coming to a head.**

**This was originally two chapters, but I felt like there wasn't that much substance in the first part (everything up to when the three musicians parted ways), so I decided I'd just smush them together. I wish I could have had Nami help Kahoko explore her feelings more, but since the big reveal isn't until later, all I could have her do was nudge Kahoko in the direction of taking things more seriously instead of trying to always sweeping it under the rug. Oh well, I guess that's what happens when things start writing themselves.**

**The latter part of this chapter was also taken from RE-Alistair++. This is one of the scenes that occurs if you hang out with Shiro, who happens to be my favorite character. Ironic isn't it? I use a scene for Shiro for Len, whom I currently don't like much, and a scene for Derek, whom I don't like that much, for Kazuki who's my favorite. Eh, that's life.**

**I'm not totally sure what I think of this Len x Kahoko chapter. I feel like there's no romantic mood in it, but I'm not really sure where to plug in things to make it more so. Although, it may be a good thing that it's not terribly romantic since the less confused Kahoko is, the more receptive she'll be to her feelings for Kazuki. *shrugs* Sorry again that it's kind of flat.**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	39. Waiting in the Wings

**Good evening! Before we move on to some more Kazuki x Kahoko, I thought we'd check in on a certain pianist and violinist. About two or three weeks has passed between this chapter and the last.**

**MoonPixie14019****: Thank you for your review! Yes! Hihara is awesome! *sigh* Yeah, there are a lot of Kahoko x Len stories. It's a little unfortunate, but it is the cliché. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Thank you again for the review!**

* * *

"Hino, are you ready to practice?" Len had stopped by her classroom after school as he had every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday since they agreed to do this duet.

"Oh! Tsukimori-kun!" Kahoko grimaced, noticing the time as she put her last book in her bag. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but I can't make it today. I have something important to do," she apologized. "Could we just pick up again on Friday? I'll work extra-extra hard to make it up to you! I promise!"

Len nodded stiffly, hiding his disappointment, "I understand." He turned and left.

"What do you have to do Kaho?" Nao inquired.

"Yeah, you said that you couldn't go out with us, and we don't have anything due soon," Mio pressed.

"Oh…well…" Kahoko looked a bit sheepish. "Actually, Hihara-senpai is celebrating his birthday tomorrow, and I promised that I'd make him some cookies since he liked the ones I baked for his family so much. I completely forgot until this morning, and between grocery shopping, homework, and baking, it'll probably take me all day," she explained.

"Ah, I'm sure Hihara-senpai will be happy," Mio smiled.

"I hope so," Kaho replied.

The girls left, chatting and laughing. Unbeknownst to them, Len had heard the whole thing.

_**So she's skipping practice to bake cookies for Hihara-senpai…**_ His grip tightened on the handle of his violin case before he stormed off to practice.

Practice was somewhat unsatisfying. The sweetness that he had been working so hard to cultivate kept eluding him. Noticing how dark it had become, he lowered his violin with a disgruntled look. It was time to pack up. As he turned toward the door, a knock sounded, causing him to look up. A quick glance informed him of the identity of the visitor.

"What is it, Shouji-san?" Len asked coolly, opening the door.

"Ah…I…I'm sorry for interrupting your practice Tsukimori-senpai. I was wondering if you could help me with something…"

"What is it?"

"Well…I…" Megumi eyed him nervously.

"_There's something wrong with him today, he seems especially irritated for some reason._"

She took courage, looked him straight in the eye and continued, "I'm thinking of taking up the violin as a second instrument and I was wondering if you could give me the contact information of some good violin instructors in the area."

Len nodded and motioned her inside. _**So she's taking up violin…I guess that's good. It'll make her a more well-rounded musician to know more than one instrument.**_

He scribbled some names and phone numbers on a sheet of paper and held it out to her. "These should be good places to get started…" Suddenly he frowned as if considering something. He retracted the paper and scribbled some more on it. "This person is pretty pricey; you probably couldn't afford him," he commented, scratching off a name.

He cringed internally when he saw her avert her face in shame. _**Great… It's true that with her father in the hospital, their family income is limited, but I didn't need to state it quite like that…**_

Deciding to change the subject a bit, he murmured awkwardly, "How is your father? Has he been released from the hospital?"

Looking relieved at the change in conversation, Megumi responded, "Thankfully he's home now." Feeling a bit shy, she demurely requested while holding out a small package, "Oh, umm, these are for you and your family. They're rice crackers from a specialty store my brother works at. You don't seem like the type who likes sweets, so I thought this would be a better option than the daifuku my uncle makes." She bowed more deeply once he had taken the parcel from her fingers. "Please thank your parents for going out of their way to drop me off at the hospital after the concert." She looked up with a grateful look and added, "Thank you also for the cake and for the autographed CD." She laughed a bit and smiled softly, "That CD has become my father's treasure. When I presented him with a CD signed by your parents, I thought he was going to faint."

"I'm glad…" Len replied softly.

Megumi smiled at the boy, her eyes shining in gratitude, "Thanks to you and your family, we had a very happy Christmas. I haven't seen everyone smile like that in a long time." She mused, "I think being able to have a Christmas cake made my siblings really happy…Even without presents, it felt like Christmas." She bowed to Len. "Thank you, Tsukimori-senpai. I can't express how grateful my family is to yours."

"S-sure…" Len averted his eyes, a very faint blush creeping to his cheeks. Gratitude was not an emotion usually directed at him, especially gratitude of this magnitude. He wasn't really sure how to react.

She decided to be brave. "Umm, Tsukimori-senpai…? Was something bothering you earlier?"

His head snapped back to attention, as his face quickly schooled into his normal stoic exterior. "No."

She suppressed a sigh of defeat. They hadn't built up that much rapport after all. "Ok…Thank you for the references," Megumi said, picking up the piece of paper which Len had left forgotten on the piano. As she turned to leave, she paused with her hand on the doorknob.

Len looked at her frostily.

"Are you unhappy about something, senpai? Your playing didn't have the same quality it did at the concert, or even at the exhibition," she murmured. Then seeming to remember herself she quickly said, "I must be making it difficult for you to practice. Excuse me." She left.

Len closed his eyes and sat on the piano bench, running his fingers through his hair distractedly. _**What's wrong with me?**_

Megumi peeked surreptitiously at Len's frustrated visage. "_I wonder what Hino-senpai has done to make you look so sad…_" She sighed as she forced herself to walk away. "_Will you ever see that I'm here for you senpai, or will I be relegated to forever waiting in the wings?_"

* * *

**Yeah…so originally "Light in the Darkness" was going to be a lot longer with the events that Megumi and Len allude to occurring, but as I started writing it, it just got too bulky. There were just too many characters that I never planned to use again, and I had no idea how to develop Megumi and Len's characters in it, so in the end, I just scrapped that section. I suppose I was also kind of partial to the idea of the chapter ending with the image of the two standing together as the snow softly fell around them, flocking the landscape in white. (^_~)***

**I'm not sure if I made Len a too emotional in this chapter or not. I'm so out of practice when it comes to writing him. (x . x)**

**Since Kahoko has to make cookies anyway, I think we'll drop in and see how they're coming along. Yay!**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	40. The Hino  Hihara Coalition

**Good evening! Yay! Things are finally starting to kick into gear! Thank you so much to those who are still reading this story despite my obscenely slow updating speed. And many, many thanks to those who are reviewing!**

**Alright! Let's see how those cookies are coming along.** \(^o^)/

* * *

Noriko snatched a cookie off the cooling rack. "Don't mind if I do." *crunch*

"Hey! Those aren't for you!" Kahoko huffed, turning around to glare at her as she pulled another tray out of the oven.

"Well, why not?" Noriko retaliated, leaning on the counter with one elbow as she polished off her cookie. "You've been baking up a storm in here ever since we finished cleaning up after dinner." Observing the piles of finished cookies, she raised an eyebrow and inquired, "How many cookies are you planning to make anyway?"

"We-ell...I was planning to make a few different kinds, but…" she smiled a bit ruefully, "Some of them haven't turned out very well." She held up the pan of strange-looking cookies that had just come out of the oven.

Noriko reached over and gingerly plucked one off the tin, blowing on it a bit before biting in. "Bleh! These are awful!" she cried, spitting it out and rinsing her mouth thoroughly in the sink.

(^_^;) "Yeah…" With a sigh of regret, she threw the rest of the batch into the trash.

After getting the rest of the cookie taste out of her mouth, Noriko turned and looked quizzically at her sister. "But seriously Kaho, why are you baking so many? What are they for?"

"Oh…well…" Kahoko blushed.

_If I tell her they're for Hihara-senpai, she'll tease me again!_

Noriko smirked. "They wouldn't happen to be for a certain green-haired trumpeter, would they?" she asked innocently.

*BLUSH*

~ ( 6 . 6 ) ~

*ah-choo!* Kazuki sneezed.

"Dusty?" Haruki leaned his head backward over the couch to get a better look at his brother.

"No, I just sneezed for some reason."

"Maybe Hino-san is talking about you," Haruki teased.

*BLUSH* "N-no way…besides," Kazuki continued sadly, "I think she and Tsukimori may be going out. They're always practicing after school. Why would they spend so much time together if they weren't dating?"

"Is there anything other than that that makes you think they're dating?"

"What do you mean?"

He turned around and leaned his arm on the back of the couch. "Like, have you seen them together? How does she look at him?"

"I've only seen them coming and going, and I can't usually see their faces," he stated quizzically, not really understanding why Haruki was asking.

*Clout*

"Ow! !" Kazuki yelped, clutching his head. "What was that for? !"

Haruki sank back on the couch and rubbed his temples as if he were getting a headache. "You are so stupid! You should at least verify for yourself that she's taken before you mope around like this!" He shook his head, muttering as he buried himself back in his magazine, "How did I get such a moron for a brother? Those good looks are such a waste on a blockhead like him."

Kazuki sat stunned by this revelation. _**He's right…**_ He clenched his fists. _**I can't give up like this. But how do I ask her…? It's too awkward to just ask her straight out.**_

Haruki watched his brother brood of the corner of his eye. "_This kid is completely clueless. At least now he's somewhat back to his usual give-it-my-all self._" He frowned slightly. "_But if she really is dating that other guy, then he's setting himself up for a fall…maybe I'll do a little scouting for him._" He surreptitiously took out his phone and started texting. "_That should do it. Send._"

~ ( -_-)o] ~

"So whom are these cookies for, Kaho? You're making enough to feed a family of 10!"

*beep beep*

Noriko glanced at her cell phone. "_A text?_" She flipped open her phone and read, "Your sister's not dating a guy named Tsukimori, is she? Kazuki seems to think she is." Her eyes widened slightly. "_Tsukimori? He _has_ been walking her home a lot…maybe that's whom these cookies are for?_" Her heart sank. She had really wanted it to be Kazuki.

_Hmm…she seems to be distracted with her phone. Maybe she'll finally drop it. Phew!_

"Maybe they're for someone else?"

_So much for that!_

"What do you mean?" Kahoko asked, trying to hide her apprehension by decorating some sugar cookies.

"Are they for the handsome, mysterious, blue-haired man who's been walking you home as of late?"

"Tsukimori-kun? No, they're not for him," she answered easily as she added a swirl.

"They're not? Isn't he your boyfriend?" Noriko asked, dropping the bombshell.

*CLATTER!* Kahoko straightened so quickly that the tin with the cookies she had been decorating fell to the floor. "WHAT? ! NO! He's not my boyfriend! ! What gave you that idea? !" she exclaimed, beet-red.

"_I think Hihara-kun may still be in the running, but I'd better probe a little further. After all, she's protesting so vehemently because a) she has someone else that she likes, even if she herself doesn't realize it yet, or b) she really likes Tsukimori-san but is embarrassed to admit it,_" Noriko thought.

She leaned on the counter and waved a cookie-holding hand. "Chill out, girl. He's been walking you home so much, and now here you are baking up enough cookies to feed a small country. What else am I supposed to think?"

"Well you thought wrong," Kahoko retorted, cleaning up the mess on the floor in annoyance. "For your information, I'm making these cookies for Hihara-senpai. He and his father are having a joint birthday celebration tomorrow. I missed his real birthday, so I thought I'd bake extra cookies to make up for it."

"_Haha! Victory! I need to tell Hihara-san!_"

"Oh, I see…Why don't I help you finish up these cookies? It's the least I can do for making you ruin a batch." Noriko looked at the destroyed cookies sheepishly.

Kahoko smiled. "Thanks." Suddenly brightening, she added, "How about showing me how to make your special powdered green tea cookies, just to make sure that I truly forgive you?"

Noriko laughed. "You have yourself a deal. Let me just run to the bathroom really quick."

"_Now to send off the good news…_"

~ (^o^)v ~

"Hey, Haruki…What would you do if you weren't sure whether the girl you liked was interested in someone else?" Kazuki asked, pausing from his pacing.

"If you're asking about Hino-san, then just ask directly…" Haruki replied with a piercing stare.

Kazuki made a pouty face and muttered, "Fine. What do you advise I do?"

He shrugged. "Just ask her directly, and confess. It's pretty simple."

Kazuki flopped onto the floor. "You say that like it's easy!" he whined.

"It's not easy, but it's simple, and probably the best and most effective way…"

*buzz buzz*

"That you Haruki?"

"Huh? Yeah."

"_Oh, looks like I've got my answer. Let's see…good, they're not dating._"

"Kazuki!" their mother called.

"Yeah, mom?"

"Can you come here for a minute? I want you and your father to help me check on the preparations for tomorrow."

"_Oh, and she was extremely adamant about it too? Things are looking better and better for Kazuki._" As he read the next little tidbit of information, his smile widened. Glancing at his brother's retreating back he thought, "_Congrats, you're going to get an awesome birthday present tomorrow._"

* * *

**Another chapter done, hooray! At this rate, I might even manage to be done by the end of summer! Maybe I shouldn't have said that. I might have jinxed it. (x . x)**

**I always have so much fun writing Noriko and Haruki. Even though they have a lot of fun at their clueless younger siblings' expense, they really care about them and want to help. Only having two younger brothers, I'm not really sure what'd it would be like to have an older sibling, but I guess being an older sibling is similar, even if it's not quite the same. Which category do you think Kahoko falls in, a or b? (^_~)***

**Does anyone know if green tea cookies exist, and if they exist if they're any good? It seems like they must exist (unless they taste terrible) considering that there's green milk tea, green tea milkshakes, green tea ice cream, green tea candy, green tea cake, green tea pudding, etc.**

**The second kao-moji is supposed to be someone on the phone, but I'm not sure if it succeeded.**

**Next chapter Kazuki and Kahoko will actually talk **_**to**_** each other instead of just **_**about**_** each other, I promise!**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	41. Second Chance Cookies

**Good morning! Thank you to my readers. And many, many thanks to those who are reviewing! Thank you also to those who are adding this story to their favorites. It's nice to see that despite it being long (now 41 chapters? !) and kind of old, new people are still reading it.**

* * *

"Yu~noki~!" Kazuki hollered, waving energetically as he ran to catch up with his friend.

Azuma stopped until the two could walk together. "Good morning, Hihara. How are you?"

"I'm doing great! Did you get permission?" he eagerly asked.

"The party is today, correct?"

Kazuki nodded.

Azuma smiled back and nodded an affirmative.

"Yay! I'm glad you're coming. You're bringing Hanazawa-chan too, right?"

"Yes," he replied with a small smile, "She wants to get to know my friends better."

"I hope she'll be ok being the only girl…" Kazuki looked a tad sheepish.

"You mean you didn't invite Hino-san?" Azuma asked innocently.

*BLUSH* "N-No! Wh-Why would I do something like that? It's not like…We're just…"

Azuma chuckled.

Kazuki blushed and looked away. "Don't make fun of me…"

"There, there. We should head to class."

"Right," Kazuki grinned, gratefully taking the out that he was offered.

~ (^_^) ~

"Wow~! Those look delicious Kaho-chan!" Mio exclaimed, ogling the basket of goodies.

"Did you make all of these last night? !" Nao gasped.

"Yeah, my sister helped me a bit, she taught me how to make these powdered green tea ones, but most of them I made myself…Do you think it's a bit much?" Kahoko asked embarrassedly.

Nao laughed. "I think even Hihara-senpai will have trouble finishing all of these! But," she smiled at Kahoko, "I think he'll be very happy."

"When do you plan to give them to him?" Mio asked.

"After school, I'm hoping to catch him before he goes home. I don't really have anything to do today, so I can wait as long as I need to."

"Good luck, Kaho-chan!"

Kahoko laughed a tad uncertainly. "Thanks, I think. It shouldn't be too hard to get a hold of him, right?"

~ (^o^) ~

_Wrong! Was I ever wrong! Where is Hihara-senpai? I've been waiting for almost half an hour!_

Kahoko shivered in the cold.

_Maybe he's in orchestra club practice? I thought they practiced on Wednesdays, but I guess it doesn't hurt to check._

She trudged over to the room, but no one was there. She also checked the gym, the classrooms, and the practice rooms, all to no avail.

*sigh* _I guess I'll need to deliver them to his house…_ She walked out of the gate and began to walk down the street. She furrowed her brow and unconsciously ran a hand through her hair. _Now…I think I remember how to get there…_

"Kaho-chan?" A lavender-haired head popped out of a black limousine as it pulled up next to her.

"Sumire-chan!"

"Would you like a ride someplace?" the girl asked with a smile.

"Yes, if you don't mind…!" she shivered, "It's freezing out here!"

Sumire quickly opened the door. "Hop in! There's plenty of room. Azuma-san and I are running ahead of schedule, so we can drop you off wherever you need to go."

"Thank you Sumire-chan, Yunoki-senpai." Kahoko gratefully settled into a comfortable seat.

Azuma quietly observed her as she rubbed her hands together. "You should really consider bundling up better, Hino-san. If you're not careful, you'll catch a cold."

"Thank you for your concern Yunoki-senpai," she replied with a small smile. Looking up at him, she asked conversationally, "Where are you two going?"

"Hihara is having a birthday dinner of sorts, and we were invited. Sumire-san has been wanting to get to know him better, so his mother invited us to join them."

"Oh!" Her face lit up in excitement. "That works out perfectly! I have something that I want to give Hihara-senpai." She smiled a bit ruefully. "I tried to catch him before he left school, but I must have missed him."

"I'm sorry you were waiting out there. We had a test in our last class, so we both left as soon as we were finished."

"So that's what happened…" she murmured as she nodded to herself.

"Azuma-sama, we have arrived."

"Thank you, Koji." He smiled at the driver.

Azuma stepped out of the car first and helped Sumire out.

"Yunoki! Glad you could make it!" Kazuki hollered as he ran to the car to greet the pair. "H-Huh? ! K-Kaho-chan? ! What…What are you doing here? ! !" he sputtered when Azuma assisted Kahoko out of the limousine, halting mid-step.

"Ah…I…umm…" Kahoko bit her lip at a loss for words.

_Why am I so nervous?_

"We saw Hino-san walking while we were passing by the school. Since she was on her way here, we gave her a ride," Azuma explained with a smile.

**She seems rather embarrassed; perhaps it's Hihara that she likes?** Azuma watched her out of the corner of his eye. Although he had given up his claim to her, he still held some interest in her love life.

"You were coming here?" Kazuki asked Kahoko dumbly.

"Ah…yes…umm…Hihara-senpai…" she held out the large basket of cookies, "Happy Belated Birthday! Here are your cookies, as promised."

Kazuki's eyes widened, a look of ecstasy crossing his face. "These…These are for me? Thank you Kaho-chan! !" He ran over to her, his hand covering hers as he reached for the basket. He beamed at her, eyes shining in joy.

Kahoko didn't notice their physical contact as she smiled up at the boy. _Hihara-senpai looks overjoyed. I'm glad I decided to drop these cookies off after all. His smile makes all that hard work worth it._ She only then realized that their hands were touching, and quickly transferred the basket to him, blushing as she pulled away.

"You made quite a lot of cookies didn't you, Hino-san. They must have taken you a long time." Azuma commented slyly.

"Ah…it didn't take me that long, but I did have to cancel practicing with Tsukimori-kun yesterday because I ended up making them at the last minute," f(^_^;) Kahoko admitted.

Kazuki felt like time had stopped. _**Kaho-chan…you canceled plans with Tsukimori…for me…?**_ He felt like he could cry for joy. _**Maybe I still have a chance! !**_

"Kaho-chan?"

"Yes, Hihara-senpai?"

He looked at her with a hopeful expression on his face. "Would you like to join us? There's plenty of food, and you're here already..."

"Oh!" She felt a little shy. "Thank you, but I should really get home…"

"Please stay, Kaho-chan!" Sumire interrupted. She had been watching them and had a gut feeling that Kahoko had feelings for Kazuki. "I'm the only girl at this party, so if you stayed it would really help me out! I don't really know anyone here after all…"

"We-ell…" Kahoko was weakening.

"In any case, why don't you call your parents inside, Hino-san. We really shouldn't stay out in this cold…" Azuma pointed out, level-headed as always.

"Ah! You're right, Yunoki!" Kazuki grinned and motioned for them to follow him. "Come on in everyone!"

* * *

**Sorry this is a bit of a filler chapter. The next chapter is kind of a major turning point for Kazuki and Kahoko's romantic relationship (or lack thereof), so I wanted to set a proper stage. I'm almost done writing it though, so hopefully it'll be up later today or at some point tomorrow. One of the videos I wanted to use went away, so I have to go hunt down another copy. (T_T) We'll see how long that takes.**

**For anyone who's keeping track, it's now January 31, 2008 (in the story). We're slowly moving out of the perpetual winter that it's been in this story. I would hate to be one of my poor characters. It's been winter there for like the last two years! *shudders***

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	42. Whispers of the Heart

**Good afternoon! It didn't take as long to find another video as I thought it would. It's a bit of a hassle though, so if people would prefer, I can set up a video privately so you don't have to scroll around. Let me know!**

**Thank you to my readers. And many, many thanks to my reviewers!**

* * *

*Ring Ring*

"Hello, Hino residence."

"Hi, Mom? It's Kahoko. I ended up delivering Hihara-senpai's cookies to his house, and now they're wondering if I can stay for the party…"

"That's fine dear. We'll expect you home later then."

She blinked in surprise. "Oh! Uh, ok. Bye!"

_That was a surprisingly quick response…She didn't give me a curfew or anything._ She hung up with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Kaho-chan, what'd your mother say?" Kazuki looked expectantly at her.

Reminded of her host, she pushed her mother's strange behavior out of her head and turned her attention fully to him. "She said that I could stay, so umm…please take care of me while I'm here." She bowed.

"Awesome!" He grinned and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the table and seating her next to Sumire, completely unaware of how red Kahoko's face became at the sudden physical contact.

It was a good meal, full of good food, interesting conversation, and laughter. Kahoko and Sumire were shocked by how quickly the large amounts of food disappeared from Kazuki's plate.

"Boys really eat a lot…don't they, Kaho-chan…" Sumire murmured, dazed, as she watched him inhale his food.

"Yeah…I know Hihara-senpai said that he needed to compete for food at home…but I didn't expect this Sumire-chan…"

Azuma chuckled to himself at the awe and shock registered on the faces of the two lovely ladies. He discreetly nudged Kazuki to bring his attention to their stares.

*BLUSH!* "Ah! I…uh…Sorry! I'm being really rude, eating like that, aren't I?"

"Ah, uh, don't worry about it Hihara-senpai…" Kahoko replied, fighting to keep a straight face. He was really too cute sometimes. "We're just, uh, amazed at how quickly the food disappeared off your plate."

"Are you two getting enough to eat? I didn't mean to be such a pig…" Kazuki looked flustered.

"Well, if you didn't get enough to eat," Kazuki's mother announced as she brought in more platters of food, "I made some extra." She smiled at the two girls and winked. "These boys eat so much that it's always good to be prepared."

Everyone laughed and dug in. With the copious amounts of food at hand, everyone was able to eat their fill without further incident.

Haruki studied Kahoko for a few seconds as they wrapped up their meal, "_How do I get you two a little closer…?_" He then noticed her violin. With a smile, he came up with a plan.

"How about some entertainment?" he suggested. "You all play various instruments, right? This party could use some music."

Azuma and Sumire politely bowed out since they had not brought their instruments, leaving Kahoko and Kazuki to play.

As Kazuki waited for her to finish tuning her violin, he got a mischievous look in his eyes. "Hey, Kaho-chan!"

She turned questioningly and immediately got an earful of trumpet (dramacrazy [period] net/korean-drama/beethoven-virus-episode-2/168325 from 3:25-4:40). She sent him a withering look, but his eyes simply twinkled back with playful challenge. Finally giving in, she sent back an unconsciously flirtatious smile and showed off a little bowing technique, her eyes laughing the entire time.

Giving a slight bow, he met her gaze for a full thirty seconds before beginning _Ode to Joy_. He closed his eyes and let the mellow tones float out of his trumpet.

She smiled softly as she listened to the straightforward honesty and consummate enjoyment he displayed in his music. Looking reverently at him, she lifted her violin to her shoulder and joined in.

Their gazes never wavered from one another as they continued to play, their hearts and spirits completely attuned to the other as the notes rose and fell. As they poured themselves more and more into the music, the room, their friends and family, even the distance between them faded away until they and the music that surrounded them were the only things in existence.

Still entranced by the song, Kazuki nodded almost imperceptibly to Kahoko, launching them into their classic Gossec's _Gavotte in D_ (youtube…com/watch?v=W5a7AH5eg8o).

Kahoko swayed with the music as the song went along. _Hello old friend. It's nice to play you again._ Her fingers played smoothly over the familiar patterns. _These days, the majority of the time I hear you is at home on the music box Hihara-senpai gave me. I guess everyone found that listening to you raises one's spirits._ She snuck a peek at her fellow performer, an unconscious flush of admiration gracing her face. _You remind me of Hihara-senpai, so carefree and fun. I'm glad he invited me to stay; everything has been so pleasant. I feel so at ease with everyone._ She closed her eyes again to lean more into the song. _Hihara-senpai is such a warm person; it doesn't surprise me that his family is warm too. Even though I stayed here for a couple of days, I didn't get much time to get to know anyone._

Kazuki's gave never wavered from her as his fingers pressed down on the keys. _**I love the sound we create when we play together, especially when we play this,**_ he smiled and closed his eyes as the song drew to its close, _**Because this is the song that brought us together.**_ When they finished, he smiled at her with a sweetness that conveyed his adoration for the girl that had thoroughly captivated him.

Kahoko froze. _Hihara-senpai…?_ Her heart pounded as her knees weakened and threatened to buckle beneath her.

Kazuki turned to grin at everyone as they clapped, alleviating the sensation momentarily.

Shaken slightly, Kahoko managed a small smile and a bow. _Get a grip, Kahoko. Deep breaths now…Calm down._

Sumire, noticing Kahoko's consternation, suggested that they sing and have cake.

As everyone joined in the choruses of "Happy Birthday," Kahoko found her eyes drifting to Kazuki. _Hihara-senpai…_ She shook her head to clear her thoughts. _Stop being ridiculous…You're acting jumpy and unreasonable. What's wrong with you?_

Much to her chagrin, she heard her sister's voice lecturing in her head, _"If you find your heart racing or your face burning for reasons that aren't really embarrassing or stressful, then you might want to think about what _that_ means!"_

She felt her cheeks grow hot. _Stupid sister~!_

"Kaho-chan…is something wrong?" Kazuki bent down, his concerned eyes meeting hers.

She leapt backward in surprise. "Hi-Hihara-senpai!" she squeaked.

He looked confused at her reaction. _**Why did she jump like that?**_

"I…I'm fine, Hihara-senpai." She flashed him a small smile, "Honest."

He smiled back at her, choosing to believe that she was telling the truth. "Then let's get some cake!" He ran over to the table, Kahoko following closely behind. "Here, Kaho-chan." He turned to hand her a plate of cake and a fork.

"Thank you Hihara-senpai." She reached for the plate. His fingers grazed hers.

Kahoko's face blanched for a brief second as electricity raced from her fingertips to the rest of her body. Her heart and mind raced. _What…What was that? ! ? Where did that come from? ?_

Again, her sister's annoying voice came back. _"If you find that his touch makes your heart leap…"_

"Kaho-chan?" Sumire peered at her visibly shaken friend. "Are you feeling ill?"

"Oh! Sumire-chan!" Kahoko gave a little jerk in startlement. "I-I'm fine. I just felt strangely for a second, that's all."

Sumire's brow furrowed in concern. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah…I'll just…sit for a bit…" she paused awkwardly.

Sumire smiled. "I'll get you some hot tea. Maybe all that wandering around in the cold earlier gave you a chill."

"Thank you." Kahoko smiled gratefully up at her friend.

As Sumire went to get her tea, Kahoko sat down happily with her cake, pushing aside her earlier thoughts.

"Seriously, Haruki? ! Are you for real? ?" Kazuki cracked up, his exuberant laugh filling the room.

Kahoko's felt her eyes lock on him, and a smile broke out on her face. She watched as he grinned and talked to Azuma and Haruki. Her eyes roamed over his face, observing every minute detail about it. _Hihara-senpai's eyes are so kind and full of fun. His smile is infectious. You can't help but cheer up._ She giggled to herself. _When he's hyper, all you really see is his goofy grin and his overabundant supply of energy._ She pushed a strawberry on her plate around absent-mindedly. _But when you take a second to look at him,_ she smiled dreamily, _he's really quite handsome…He has strong, well-balanced features, a tall, sturdy frame,_ she felt herself giggle and blush, _and he has such strong arms…_

"Kaho-chan?" Sumire's voice shattered Kahoko's daydream.

"Oh! Uh, yes?" she sat up straight, blushing guiltily.

Sumire hid an amused smile. "Here's your tea." She sat down next to her friend.

"Oh, right. Thank you, Sumire-chan," Kahoko shot her a small smile and sipped on the offered beverage.

They sat quietly for a few moments. Sumire snuck some glances at her companion. "So…Kaho-chan…Do you have a special person that you like?" she asked, sipping her tea quietly while observing Kahoko out of the corner of her eye.

Kahoko felt her heart lurch. She almost choked on her drink. Coughing to clear her air passages, she innocently looked at Sumire. "Someone I like…? No…not really. I don't have feelings like that for anyone in particular…" she denied.

"Oh, ok," Sumire responded, strategically lacing her voice with a hint of disappointment. "It's too bad really." She paused to stir her tea. "When I came over here, you had such a blissful look on your face, I was sure you must be daydreaming about the person you like."

Kahoko's eyes widened. _Daydreaming…about the person I like? !_

She quickly brushed off the comment with a nervous laugh. "What are you talking about Sumire-chan? There's no way I could have looked like that."

Sumire surreptitiously scrutinized her. "_I'll leave her be for now. I have a feeling I've said enough._"

She gave her a friendly smile. "It must've been my imagination." Deciding to leave the girl with her thoughts for a bit, she changed the subject. "This cake is so good, isn't it? I'm going to find out from Hihara-san where she got it. Would you like another slice?"

After declining the offer, Kahoko breathed in relief as Sumire left. _Daydreaming about the person I like, huh? Hihara-senpai is my friend, nothing more…_

As if in response to the thought, Mio's voice resounded through her mind. _"…but if you find yourself thinking of him romantically without even a memory of those happenings, then there's a much higher possibility that you have feelings for him."_

She bit her lip. This was bad. As she brooded, she found her eyes drawn to Kazuki again. This time, he was leaning over, talking to his grandparents. The three laughed softly at something he said, his grandmother giving his hand a gentle squeeze. Her gaze softened. Also having grandparents that lived far away, she could identify with how precious this sort of time was. Warmth welled up in her as she took in the scene. The light of mutual affection and familial love gave everyone a soft glow. When he went back to hanging out with the guys, she wistfully wished, _I wish he'd come over here…_ She straightened up and berated herself again. _Why are my thoughts so jumbled up? ! What is the cause of this? ? ?_

Noriko's voice again interceded. _"How long are you going to keep denying your feelings? If you find yourself enjoying someone's company more than any other person's, or find that his touch makes your heart leap, or find your heart racing or your face burning for reasons that aren't really embarrassing or stressful, then you might want to think about what _that_ means!"_

As her sister's words echoed through her head, the feelings she felt on that night long ago came rushing back to her ten times stronger than they had been before. The feelings that had been evoked and buried over and over again over the past couple of months finally burst forth from the dam she had erected against them. Her eyes rose hesitantly to the boy who was obliviously joking around with his brother and Azuma. _Am I denying my feelings? Is that why I'm so mixed up? Everything that they've said has happened today and in the past. Have I really been running away from my heart?_

A thought unconsciously imprinted itself on her for the second time.

_Maybe I'm falling for you…Hihara-senpai…_

* * *

**Haha! Success! She's conscious of her feelings! Yay! I think the last time she felt like this was in chapter…2 or 3? We've come a long way since then. Well…sort-of. I suppose I got Yunoki and Tsuchiura taken care of a long time ago and have been setting up the Hihara-Hino-Tsukimori-Shouji double triangle with smatterings of Fuyuumi x Shimizu for a while. Which means that I've still got three couples to set up, but that will be rectified soon.**

**The first song is from a Korean drama (that I've never seen) called, "Beethoven Virus." I think in the drama, there's a love triangle between the trumpeter, violinist, and their conductor (a guy). In this scene, the two are performing to try and earn some money for some reason or other, but it turns into a light competition for a bit (I cut out part of the scene for my purposes, but you might have seen it while you were watching).**

**Last time Kahoko was this confused, we left her to her own devices so she could delude herself, but this time, I think we'll have someone a little closer to home do a bit of probing. There's no way even she can be dense enough to convince herself twice out of how right these feelings are! Not allowed! (^_~)***

**I wonder if I'll be able to pump out the next chapter by tomorrow! I feel so on fire!**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	43. Sibling Volley

**Good evening! This managed to wrap up a little earlier than I thought it would. I guess that's what happens when you have a day off from work and fingers that are itching to write.**

**Thank you to my readers. And many, many thanks to my reviewers! **

**Now let's get this show on the road!**

* * *

*sigh* Kahoko looked absently out the window, thinking of the party the week before. No matter how many times she went over it in her mind, the conclusions were the same, but she still wasn't sure for some reason. *sigh*

"So who's the lucky guy?" Noriko asked, sliding across the table and leaning toward her sister with a smug look.

*BLUSH* "What?" she squeaked. "What guy? What are you talking about?"

"Don't 'What are you talking about?' me." She ticked off observations on her fingers as she talked. "You've sighed more over this past week than you have in the past year. You keep spacing out with a dreamy look on your face, and you've been eating less." She leaned in with a predatory gleam in her eyes. "You're obviously in love. Now spill. Who's the lucky guy?"

"How…how do you know that I'm not just stressed out about something at school?" Kahoko defended, not quite willing to give up her secret.

"Why would you be looking dreamy-eyed if your problem was related to school stress?" Noriko countered with a knowing smirk on her face.

_Rats! I forgot that she had said that._

"Don't…Don't you have something better to do with your time than to bug me?" she asked lamely.

Noriko smirked. This match was hers. "Actually, no I don't my dear, dear sister," she leaned in more closely, with a teasing smile, "Now why don't you tell me more about this love interest of yours?"

~ (O . O;;;;)! ! ! ~

*sigh* Kazuki flopped back on the floor, letting his mind wander. _**I wonder what's wrong…**_

*whump!* Haruki dropped a pillow onto Kazuki's face. "What's with you lately? You space out all the time and you've been sighing and moping around like it's your job or something. What gives?"

Kazuki chucked the pillow at Haruki and made a face. "Mind your own beeswax."

"So mature," Haruki sarcastically replied, catching the pillow easily. "But seriously, what's wrong with you?"

"I'm not allowed to wallow in my troubles in peace?" Kazuki asked pointedly.

Haruki snagged some chips and sacked out on the couch, munching on them. "Nope, you're stuck with a nosy brother."

*sigh* _**Maybe I should talk to him…I'll be the first to admit that just about anyone on this planet has more experience with girls than I do…**_

"We-ell…there's this girl…"

"I could have figured _that_ much out," Haruki mocked. Lifting his head up to better see his brother, he asked in a bored tone of voice, "What happened between you and Hino-san this time?"

Kazuki cringed. Was he really that obvious? He considered clamming up after that snide remark but decided that he desired advice more than his dignity. "That's the thing, I honestly don't know."

Haruki raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"She's been acting really strangely around me: kind of nervous and jumpy. And I think she might be getting sick. Whenever we see each other, she always looks kind of flushed, like someone would if they had a fever. And once when I called to her, she completely blew me off! I know she heard me because she gave a little start, but then after a moment or two, she plowed on ahead as if she were going to catch a disease by being near me! Why is she avoiding me? ? What did I do? ?"

Haruki felt a grin form on his face. He grabbed his little brother and began giving him a noogie.

"Ow! What are you doing? Have you heard anything I just said? ! What's wrong with you? !" Kazuki hollered as he extricated himself from his brother's headlock and scooted a little further from the couch.

"You idiot! Do you know what this probably means? !" Haruki asked in excitement. It had happened! Yes! ! Against all odds, his little brother was going to find love at last!

"That she hates my guts for some reason…?" Kazuki questioned uncertainly, bewildered by Haruki's strange behavior. Suddenly his eyes widened in realization. Patting his fist into his other hand like a gavel, he exclaimed in an enlightened tone of voice, "Oh! I get it! She must be really sick and not want to make me sick too!"

Haruki slapped his palm to his face and slowly slid it off. "_This _is not_ happening. You've got to be kidding me!_"

Not noticing his brother's actions, Kazuki muttered to himself, "That's so considerate of her. I'm such a terrible guy for thinking that she was avoiding me. Maybe I should get her some jelly. They have that kind that's fortified with vitamins for sick people."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Haruki couldn't help but chuckle. Was there no end to his little brother's childlike innocence? "No stupid!" he chortled, pounding Kazuki's back.

"Yee-ouch! !" Kazuki ran away. "What's wrong with you? ! You're freaking me out!"

"How can you not see, Kazuki? ! You're in the clear! She might like you!"

~ (^o^) ~

"You like him," Noriko stated matter-of-factly. "That's the only explanation."

Kahoko stared at the table numbly. _Even if Noriko agrees with my own conclusions that I like him…How can I know for sure?_

She raised her eyes uncertainly and asked quietly, "How can you be so sure?"

"We-ell…" Noriko pondered. "Your symptoms match that of a love-struck girl. Also," she pulled out a photo, "How do you feel when you look at this?"

_What is this? Wait…is that…?_

"When I got the music box…" she trailed off as her eyes drifted to the object in question. Reaching over, she opened the box and watched the angel twirl around. She quietly listened to the tune, letting herself drift off.

"How did you feel when you received that music box?"

"I was so happy…" Kahoko murmured dreamily. She was only half-listening to her sister, the music having transported her spirit elsewhere.

"How do you feel when he touches you?"

Crash landing back to Earth, her face turned positively crimson. "Why are you asking me that?" she whined.

"Because it'll help us get to the bottom of your true feelings, dummy."

Kahoko huffed. "Embarrassed," she stated flatly.

"Keep going."

_Keep going? Ugh…stupid sister…How can we possibly be related? She's a witch!_

"Describe the last time the two of you touched," Noriko instructed when Kahoko remained silent.

"The last time we touched…" Kahoko said thoughtfully. In quick succession, memories of both the party and the basketball court incident rose in her mind, turning her face beet-red.

_There's NO WAY I can share those memories!_

"Oh! Looks like you thought of something good! Do tell."

"Err…umm…uh…the last time we touched is when you took that picture?" she lied weakly.

"You're lying," Noriko stated flatly. "Now 'fess up. I'll know if you're not telling the truth."

Kahoko groaned. _She would know too! Why does she have to be so perceptive when it comes to reading me? Oh the curse of nosy older siblings…_

"Fine," Kahoko muttered mutinously.

_I have to make it sound like this touch wasn't a big deal._

"The last time we touched was when Hihara-senpai gave me some cake at his birthday party." She looked at her sister coolly.

"Really?" Noriko scrutinized her face carefully.

"Really," Kahoko stated with conviction. It was, after all, the truth.

Noriko sat back. "_Kaho is telling the truth, but something tells me that there is more to this than she's letting on. I just have to wheedle it out somehow…Hmm…maybe some teasing provocation? As they say, 'If it's not broken, why fix it?'_"

"So that little brush of the fingers was enough to make you blush that furiously?" Noriko asked innocently. "That's quite impressive for such a little touch to set you off like that. You must really be head over heels for him…" She smiled in mock sweetness.

_What? ! ? !_ Her plan had backfired.

"I-That's-that's not what made me blush so furiously!" Kahoko protested heatedly, so focused on deflecting the accusation that she didn't realize that she had just ensnared herself in the spider's web.

Noriko wanted to crow in triumph. "_She's so easy._"

"Oh~! So there was something else you thought of? Do share." She had won—game, set, and match—and they both knew it.

Kahoko closed her eyes in resignation. She might as well get this over with. "I accidentally got hit in the head by a basketball, and because I couldn't walk steadily, Hihara-senpai carried me part way to the nurse's office."

Noriko's eyes went round. This was juicy news indeed! "Well? What was it like?"

"What was it like? !" she exclaimed. What kind of question was that? ! "I was ready to die of embarrassment! ! My head felt light and my heart was beating in overtime! I couldn't stop blushing!" She could feel herself blushing simply by remembering the incident. "But," she paused for a second, not really thinking about what was coming out of her mouth because she had gotten lost in the memory. "He was so sweet. He carried me as if I weighed nothing. I didn't realize how strong he was…He smelled strong and masculine, yet kind and gentle…Hihara-senpai has always been good to me…He's always taken care of me…He's always been by my side…" She gazed at the music box again and continued thoughtfully, "He's always smiling and encouraging me…Being around him is relaxing and comfortable…like the party last week, dinner here before that, playing our instruments together, talking together, ice skating together, eating sweets together…" She idly ran her finger along some of the filigree on the music box. "It's because of him I was able to finish that report…Hihara-senpai is the one who taught me that music is something to enjoy and to make others enjoy. When I was having trouble playing because of all the chaos around me that Yunoki-senpai and Tsuchiura-kun's ex-girlfriend caused, it was only when I was with Hihara-senpai that I was able to play naturally…"

Noriko watched Kahoko quietly. "_It looks like she's unraveling her feelings for herself._" She smiled. "_I'm glad. That's the way it should be. Now she can be sure._"

She sat quietly, pondering the secrets of her heart. _Hihara-senpai…The answer is here, right here, isn't it? I don't know when…no, it was that night we went ice skating. I was afraid to face my feelings, even though time and time again they resurfaced._ Tears started to spill out of her eyes. _Hihara-senpai…_

"Kaho? ?" Noriko stared at her sister in concern.

"Sis…I really do like him, don't I?" she whispered overjoyed, smiling through her tears.

~ ( ; ~ ; ) ~

Kazuki froze. His eyes went round, and his face went slack. He felt his knees buckle as he sank to the ground. _**She…she…**_**likes**_** me? Kaho-chan…**_**likes**_** me? Is this really happening?**_

"So now you need to take the next step, bro."

"The next step?" he asked in confusion. Suddenly his eyes widened. "You…you don't mean…" he stammered.

~ (0 . 0)! ~

"You have to confess to him," Noriko urged. "Valentine's day is almost here, it'll be the perfect time." She got starry-eyed. "You can give him chocolates filled with love!"

Kahoko blushed. "I...That's…There's no way I could do that!" She hid her face in her hands.

_I know that I should confess to him now that I know how I feel, but a Valentine's Day confession? ! That's…that's way too daunting!_

"No chickening out! If you want to be with the one you love, you have to take some risks."

~ \(` o `) ~

"A guy who always plays it safe and isn't willing to fight for the girl he loves is a coward," Haruki stated flatly, silencing all protests from Kazuki about how Haruki might just be mistaken and that confessing could be a disastrous idea. He continued steadily, "He's a coward who has no right to love another person, especially someone like Hino-san."

Kazuki sat quietly, staring at his feet. He knew his brother was right.

"Look for yourself," Haruki continued, passing him a stack of pictures from Kazuki's birthday party, "She feels the same Kazuki."

Kazuki studied the picture of the two musicians intently, losing himself again in the memory.

After a few moments, Haruki softly stated with a brotherly smile, "You two look really good together when you play."

Kazuki could feel himself smile at that. He flipped to the next picture. Both boys were surprised to see a small note from their mother that read, "Look at the next six at the same time."

With twin shrugs, both boys laid out the indicated pictures. Kazuki jolted as he looked at them. They were all of Kahoko watching him as he talked to other people, taken from different angles.

Haruki's mouth tugged up at the corner when he saw how perfectly the camera captured the tenderness, love, and longing that graced the girl's face when she looked at his brother. "_Way to go mom!_"

_**Kaho-chan…**_ He gulped. _**What am I so worried about? The answer is right here, isn't it?**_ He placed his hand over his heart and clenched his shirt in his fist. _**Haruki is right…if I love her, I owe her a confession. I've owed her one for a long time, but I've been afraid. Even when I almost managed to confess in the past, I'd get nervous and wouldn't be able to go through with it. I was always afraid that by confessing, I'd ruin our friendship. I…I wasn't confident that I was the best thing for her. I knew that she only saw me as a friend.**_ He found a new sense of determination. _**But…if there's even the slightest possibility that she likes me, I need to address my feelings for her.**_

He looked at his brother seriously and bowed, touching his forehead to the floor. "Please teach me how to confess properly so I don't mess things up."

~ m(_ _)m ~

"Just give him the chocolates and tell him that you like him. It's not any harder than that." Noriko popped a popcorn kernel in her mouth.

"Even if it sounds simple, it seems really complicated…" Kahoko lamented. "Even making the chocolates seems intimidating in and of itself."

"Well…if you want, I can help you make them…" She thought of something. "Maybe making chocolate for your friends in addition to your confession chocolates will make things easier."

"I suppose so…" she stated uncertainly. Suddenly, a thought chilled her to the bone. She looked at her sister with scared eyes and asked in a small voice, "Sis…what if he doesn't like me that way?"

Noriko started to laugh, but cut herself short when she got a good look at her sister's face. Sidling up beside her, she gave the red-haired girl a hug. "Do you really believe that?" she asked gently.

Kahoko looked down at her feet. "I know that he likes me as a friend, but I'm not so sure about how he feels about me romantically." Not seeing Noriko's surprised look, she continued, "He's always taken care of me and been good to me, possibly more than a friend would, but it's in his nature to be so kind and giving and wonderful." She gazed up at her sister with a worried look and asked, "What if to him, I'm just a really good friend that he helps out of the various scrapes she gets herself into?"

"Look at his face," Noriko urged, handing her the picture again.

Kahoko blushed as she examined the photograph. "He looks so surprised," she stated with a sigh, "I knew I came on too strong back then…"

Noriko let out a light laugh of affection, before giving her sister another squeeze. "You're just completely down on yourself right now, aren't you? Look more closely. Underneath the surprise, you can see the joy." She smiled and added, "I don't have any pictures, but everyone can see how in love with you he is. Whenever you're in the room, you're the only one he sees."

"But maybe you only think that because-"

"Shh…" Noriko ordered, stilling the insecure protests rising from the other girl. Pulling away from her sister so she could look her straight in the eyes, she simply advised, "Don't be afraid. Love will go where it will."

Feeling more assured, Kahoko nodded in gratitude. Looking at the picture again, she felt a little more determined. Love may go where it will, but her sister was right. If she wanted to be with him, she'd have to take the risk. She turned to ask her sister about borrowing some chocolate molds when her cell phone rang.

*Ring Ring*

"I'll be right back Sis," Kahoko called as she ran upstairs to get her phone. "Hello?"

"Umm…K-Kaho-senpai…I-it's Fuyuumi…" Shouko wasn't sure if she was terrified or grateful that Kahoko had picked up her phone.

"Hi Fuyuumi-chan, what's up?"

"Uh, well, uh, I…I was wondering if maybe…y-you could help me m-make…" she paused before whispering in embarrassment, "V-v-valentine's Day ch-chocolate…" She had said it. As the words left her lips, she almost wanted to beg her senpai to forget what she had said and shut herself up in her room—almost.

"Of course; I would love to do that with you," Kahoko responded, pleasantly surprised. "How about Tuesday? That'll give us a couple of days before Valentine's Day."

"That…That s-sounds good Kaho-senpai." She slid limply onto the floor. It was done. This was going to happen. She couldn't stop shaking. Shouko Fuyuumi was going to finally take charge of her love life. She didn't know whether to smile or vomit. "Th-thank you very much," she managed to say before hanging up and letting go of a large shuddering breath…and smiling.

As Kahoko put her phone back on her nightstand, she couldn't help but think, _Well, that was interesting…_ She gave a slight shrug before laughing as she headed back downstairs. _At least now I've got a chocolate-making buddy that's not my busybody sister!_

* * *

**We have a plan of attack! I wonder how surprised they'll be when they find out that they were both planning to confess to each other. Only time will tell.**

**I know they took a lot more pictures than were displayed, but I thought fewer pictures judiciously timed would probably be more effective than displaying everything they ever documented. Maybe Noriko and Haruki will use them for a scrapbook or as blackmail material or something. Either way, the pictures accomplished what they were supposed to: opening Kazuki and Kahoko's eyes to the mutual attraction and affection that exists between them through the objective medium of film. One of my favorite quotes from an anime is from "Meitantei Conan" episode 106, which says, "The word ****photograph**** [(shasshin)] is composed of the characters ****reflect**** [(or describe)] and ****truth****." Just a little fun Japanese fact, kind of like how Lili said that music (ongaku) is written with the characters ****sound**** and ****fun****.**

**Right when I was about to upload this chapter, I realized that Kahoko never seemed to worry about whether Kazuki would like her. Seeing that as potentially being somewhat arrogant and selfish, I quickly made her conscious of the possibility, even if Noriko made short work of those anxieties. I feel like the more you like someone, the more likely you are to be afraid of being hurt, at least, that's kind of the way things have played out in my life. I was originally thinking of having this section in the middle around when Noriko suggests that Kahoko confess on Valentine's Day, but due to the interconnected nature of the events going on in the two houses, it didn't quite work, so it got tacked on to the end. I hope it fits in there alright.**

**Oh, right. Jelly in Japan is a little different from jelly in the United States. When Kazuki thinks Kahoko is sick, he's not planning to get her stuff to spread on toast. He's thinking of getting her something more along the lines of Jello. I suppose she was sort of sick, but vitamins don't cure lovesickness! (^_~)***

**Next time, the girls will make some chocolate!**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	44. Happy Valentine!

**Good evening!**

**Thank you to my readers. And many, many thanks to my reviewers!**

**angel 199936: Hello! Thank you for reviewing! I'm sorry to hear that you think this story is kind of boring. It is very long and slow-paced; I will give you that. If I were to go back in time and give myself advice, I'd probably cut out or collapse a moderate number of chapters. Maybe I'll do that someday after it's all finished and I can more objectively figure out what parts should go to the threshing floor. *shrugs*  
That being said, taking into account where everyone is in relation to each other at the point of Chapter 9, I disagree with your assessment that someone should have kissed her by now. A lot of people in Japan take kissing very seriously, heck, a lot of them take hand-holding seriously. One of my friends (who was studying abroad at the time) told me that after he kissed a girl, she immediately started talking about someday getting married and having a family together. I know that probably sounds extreme, but that's not an uncommon mindset. (If your comment was only in reference to the length of my story, then I apologize for telling you all this useless information!)  
Thank you again for reviewing! (If you read this, then thank you also for having stuck with my boring story for about 30 more chapters!)**

* * *

The fateful day had arrived. As Shouko exited her classroom after school, she clutched a small, light-blue parcel tightly in her hands. Steeling herself for the task up ahead, she raised the parcel to her face and breathed in the soothing, heavenly smell of chocolate. As her nerves calmed under the aromatherapy, she smiled to herself. _I suppose on top of it wanting to smell good for Shimizu-kun, I may have subconsciously had another reason for asking Kaho-senpai to help me make fragrant chocolates._

Wandering through the hallways and the quad, she thought, _I wonder where Shimizu-kun is…It's been so nice lately, maybe he's outside._ She smiled fondly. _When there was snow on the ground, I sometimes saw him sleeping in the library or on his desk, but now that the weather is nicer…_ She searched for him all over the school grounds, but he was nowhere to be found. _Maybe he is inside after all…_

He was in the library.

Seeing that the seat next to him was empty, she took it and pulled out her homework, placing her chocolates in the upper-left-hand corner of her table space. _I might as well work while I wait for him to wake up…_

Mmm…the cello sounds so nice...What is that? There's a wonderful smell…I can feel it seeping into me and warming me up.

Keiichi opened his eyes. As his eyes focused, he saw a girl with glass-green hair and light pink eyes bent over her studies. He studied her discreetly for a few minutes, admiring her face, her lithe frame, the way she bit her lip when she thought, the focus and dedication she applied toward her studies, the flush of joy that graced her cheeks when she solved something, the way the sunlight glinted off her hair clip… He wanted to talk to her. "Fuyuumi-san…?" he murmured.

"Oh!" Shouko jumped. "Uh, h-hello Shi-Shimizu-kun…"

"Hello…" he greeted slowly, as he pulled himself upright, not quite fully awake. He looked down at her papers. "What…are you…studying…?"

"Uh, I-I'm just w-working on some m-music theory h-homework…" she stammered.

Keiichi nodded slowly.

Shouko's eyes darted to the chocolate on the table. _I have to give them to him! I have to confess! Come on, Shouko! You can do it!_

"I…want to hear…Fuyuumi-san's clarinet…just like…that time…in the restaurant…"

"Hmm…?" Her mind was brought back to the present.

"Fuyuumi-san's playing is…so natural…It's…so relaxing…"

Shouko could feel a blush creep to her cheeks as blue-green eyes locked on light pink.

"We should…practice together…sometime…"

She felt her heart thrill. That would be wonderful! But seeing the chocolates in the corner of her eye reminded her of the task at hand. _Like Kaho-senpai said._ She smiled to herself as she remembered those inspiring words. _ "That's why girls confess with chocolate on Valentine's Day. Because they believe that if they put their feelings into the chocolate, their feelings will be definitely be conveyed to that special person..."_

She cleared her throat. "I…err…you see…I…uh…" she fumbled.

_Why am I so bad at this? I just have to give them to him. It's not that hard! Why am I so incapable of doing something so simple? If I can't…_ The thought of bringing home the chocolates at the end of the day made her feel ill. _If I can't…my feelings will never reach him!_

As Shouko agonized over her plight, Keiichi noticed the chocolates on the desk. He slowly pointed at them. "What…is that package…?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, these, they're…umm…nothing…No! They're not nothing, but, uh, you see, umm…oh dear…it's uh, well…" She wanted to scream. How incompetent could she get? ! She wanted to crawl under a rock and cry; she was so mortified.

"Fuyuumi-san…are they…chocolates…?" he asked, giving her a kind smile.

She quickly nodded and hastily pushed them toward him, relieved that despite her incessant, incoherent babbling, she had somehow managed.

"Thank…you…" He carefully opened the box and delicately sniffed the air. He had found the mystery scent. Carefully, he bit into a chocolate…and smiled.

Shouko felt her breath catch._ Wow~…_

He devoured the rest of them quickly.

She could hardly contain her joy. _He ate the chocolates that I made! He liked them! Ok, now I need to finish the deed. First come the chocolates, and then the confession._

She took a deep breath. "Shimizu-kun, I-" she stopped. Her eyes widened as she realized what she was seeing. Half-hidden by Keiichi's cello were stacks composed of boxes upon boxes of chocolates wrapped in their pristine coverings, Valentine's Day chocolates that other girls had given him. She felt herself choke on her confession, her face turning deathly white.

"Fuyuumi-san…? What's wrong…?" he asked in concern, leaning a bit closer.

"I-I…" she started, tears stinging her eyes as the brightly colored boxes blurred in her vision.

_The chocolates the other girls made are probably better made and taste millions of times better than my chocolates...Father is normally out and about on business during Valentine's Day, so this is my first time ever making Valentine's Day chocolates…It's natural that theirs would be superior…_ To add to insult to injury, a second thought plowed through her already fragile self-confidence like a wrecking ball against a greenhouse. _Shimizu-kun probably ate my chocolates to be polite…After all, I'm sitting right here, and I'm so incompetent that I couldn't even give them to him properly!_

"I…I hope you enjoy your other chocolates, Shimizu-kun…" she choked out, fighting back tears as she hurriedly shoved her homework into her bag.

_Why can't I do anything right?_

He looked at her blankly.

_There's no way my chocolates can compare._

"They're-They're probably a lot better than the chocolates I made…" she whispered in despair, turning to leave.

_I'm a complete failure!_

But just as she was about to run away, a hand touched hers, causing her to still. Tear-brimmed pink met solemn blue-green.

"I loved your chocolates…Fuyuumi-san…"

_What?_ She had to sit down. She was positively stunned.

"Your chocolates…had…the most wonderful aroma…It made me want…to eat them." He looked kindly into her eyes. "No one else's chocolates…made me feel like that…"

As his words washed over her, the tears began to fall.

"Fuyuumi-san…" he offered her a handkerchief. "Please…don't cry…" he murmured.

"Thank you…Shimizu-kun…You've made me so happy…" she whispered, lowering her eyes demurely.

Slowly he reached out and cupped her face in his hands, causing their eyes to meet once again. His sleepiness had completely disappeared. After carefully wiping her tears from her cheeks with his handkerchief, he gazed deeply into her eyes.

Thank you, my little swan…

Shouko closed her eyes happily and placed her hand on his, savoring his touch. She opened her eyes again and smiled back at her knight in shining armor. Even without words, she knew that her chocolates had worked their magic. Her confession was a success.

* * *

**I was going to have them make chocolate, but I really wanted to tie things up with Shouko and Keiichi, so I decided I'd just weave it into this chapter.**

**The quote that Shouko remembers is something that Ichigo (from "Yumeiro Patisserie") thinks/remembers/realizes after talking to her roommate about some chocolate that she (the roommate) made for her boyfriend in the episode that this chapter is named after.**

**This chapter is based off of xSunnySideUp's "Sleeping Beauty." I liked the idea of Keiichi assuring Shouko that she is special to him.**

**We've wrapped up our third relationship. Will we complete number four? Tune in next time. (^_^)**

**Please review****! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (^_^)**


	45. An Unexpected Confession

**Thank you to everyone who's been reading and especially to those who have been reviewing, following, etc. (^_^)**

* * *

_Ok, Kahoko. Take a deep breath. This is the moment you've been waiting for. This is what Valentine's Day is all about._ She opened the door to the roof and looked around. *sigh* _I guess he's not here either…I haven't been able to find him all day…not in the cafeteria, the garden, the orchestra club room…I'm starting to wonder if he was sick today…_

"Hino"

Kahoko turned, blinking her eyes in surprise. "Oh, Tsukimori-kun, I didn't expect you to be up here."

Len walked toward her, violin case in hand. "I wanted to have some fresh air for some reason…"

"I can understand that," she smiled. "Oh! That's right!" Kahoko shuffled around in her bag. "I have something for you."

Len looked at her in mild surprise when she presented a box of chocolates for him.

"Happy Valentine's Day Tsukimori-kun! I made these with Fuyuumi-chan on Tuesday. I hope you like them."

He placed his violin case on a nearby bench and tasted a chocolate. "Thank you." They were delicious.

"You're welcome!" She was glad he had liked them since he didn't seem like the type to enjoy sweet things.

Len cleared his throat. It was now or never. "Hino…"

"Hmm?"

"I…I have something I want to tell you."

"What is it?"

"At the end of the school year, I intend to study music in Vienna."

"Really?! That's amazing!" Her eyes lit up. "This is a wonderful opportunity! Are you going for the summer break?" she asked her face bright with excitement for her friend.

His eyes locked on her face. "It's not a short-term trip."

"Eh?"

"I'm transferring over there at the end of the school year."

"No way…"

~ (0 . 0) ~

"Hi everyone…umm…" Kazuki looked awkwardly around the classroom for Kahoko. "Is Kaho-chan around?"

"Hi, Hihara-senpai," Nao greeted, "I'm afraid she's not here."

"Oh…" he looked disappointed.

"Actually, I think she was looking for you earlier," Nao said thoughtfully.

"That's right! She said that she was going to go to the roof to look for you, Hihara-senpai," Mio added. "She thought you might be planning to practice up there."

_**She was looking for me?! Maybe…Maybe she was going to give me chocolate?! Calm down Kazuki, they're probably only friendship chocolates. There's no need to get your hopes up.**_ He grinned to himself. _** But still, what a perfect way to end the day!**_

"Right! Thank you!" He ran off, humming happily. As he slowly climbed the stairs, he rehearsed his confession in his head a couple of times. He paused as he reached the door.

_**Ok, Kazuki, brace yourself!**_ He opened the door. _**Kaho-chan! **_His eyes lit up when he saw her, but they widened in shock as Kahoko spoke.

"Tsukimori-kun…I…I'm not sure how to say this…" She bowed her head.

Len leaned his head closer. "I understand…" he whispered.

As Kazuki's hand fell off the door handle, the world crumbled around him.

~ (T_T) ~

"I'll miss you, Tsukimori-kun. I was really looking forward to being able to perform with you next year. You've taught me so much about music and the violin. I'm forever in your debt." Kahoko smiled sadly at Len.

He nodded, surreptitiously straightening up a bit before changing the subject. "Shall we meet about half-an-hour before the duet clinic tonight for a final run through?"

"Alright, I'll meet you at the school?"

Len nodded.

"See you then," she smiled.

He turned and walked away. _**If I ever wondered about her feelings for me, I now know. **_He smiled sadly to himself as he left her. _**At least, now there is nothing to keep me from pursuing my dreams abroad…**_

~ (-_-) ~

He ran. But no matter how quickly he ran he couldn't rid himself of that scene.

*flashback*

"Tsukimori-kun…I…I'm not sure how to say this…" She bowed her head.

Len leaned his head closer. "I understand…" he whispered.

*end flashback*

His heart was breaking. _**Of course she likes Tsukimori. He's perfect. Their **_**A****ve Maria **_**duet was pure and beautiful. The sweetness and warmth of it made my heart ache. Our **_**Gavotte **_**duet can't hold a candle to it.**_

He stopped to catch his breath. Somehow he had managed to run all the way into town. He sat miserably on a bench by a planter. _**I was crazy to think that a trumpet could ever compete with a violin. In the end, even I have to admit that he's perfect for her…He's rich…She's probably the only person on the planet he notices…They both love music and their violins…He has so much more to offer her than I do…**_

Needing to move around, he stood and began walking. He wandered around aimlessly and miserably as couples surrounded him, chattering and laughing together. Couples holding hands, couples sharing food, couples sneaking kisses—they seemed to whirl around him, mocking him. Finally he made it back out to the street. As he gazed into the darkness, it started to snow. He looked up and stared at the gray, bleak sky.

* * *

**Eep! He saw them! Well, like xXLalaXx123 said a long time ago, it's no fun if there's no drama. With all the time that Len and Kahoko spend together, they were bound to get caught by Kazuki sooner or later. But poor Kazuki! Just when he caught a break, it all (seemingly) fell apart. After all, seeing the girl you like "confess" to someone else has to fall pretty high on a list of things that would totally suck. :(**

**I feel bad for making him so down on himself when he's despairing, but if you think about it, with a friend like Azuma who's always got screaming fangirls. It's probably not too far a step for him to think that all girls want a guy who's rich and handsome and has access to various privileges and opportunities.**

** kazuki-senpai: If you want to curse Len, now would be a good time to do it even if he technically didn't do anything. :P**

**Can things get any worse, or have we hit rock bottom? To find out, click the ****Next**** button to read "Unrequited."**


	46. Unrequited

*sigh* _In the end, I couldn't find him…I had my confession prepared and everything…_ She closed her eyes as the breeze brushed a few strands of hair across her face. _And here I am waiting again, like I have for the last week, hoping to run into him…_ She pushed the stray strands back behind her ear impatiently. _Before I was really nervous about telling him, but now I just want to shout my feelings to the sky if only so I can release them._ *sigh* She looked down at her parcel. _I suppose they're not exactly Valentine's Day chocolate anymore, but I'm sure he'll forgive me for delivering them a bit late…_

"Umm…Hino-senpai?" A voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hmm?" Kahoko looked up. "Shouji-san?"

"Hino-senpai…is…is it true that Tsukimori-senpai will be leaving to study in Vienna at the end of the school year?" she murmured softly, taking a seat next to Kahoko.

Kahoko looked sadly at the girl. "I'm afraid so."

Megumi sighed sadly. "I happened to be on the rooftop when Tsukimori-senpai came up, and…I overheard you two…I guess I hoped it was some kind of nightmare." Blushing a little bit at how pathetic she sounded, she apologized, "I'm sorry for bothering you, Hino-senpai."

_Shouji-san looks so sad. She really cares for him…_

"I guess all we can do is be happy for him, right? This is a great opportunity for him, after all," Kahoko gave Megumi a comforting smile.

Megumi smiled back weakly. She hesitated for a moment, looking sidelong at her companion as Kahoko stared pensively out into the blue. Closing her eyes in pain, she pronounced a death sentence on her own affections. "Tsukimori-senpai really likes you, Hino-senpai." There, she had said it. She turned away in misery. Now that Kahoko knew, surely she'd find him so they could be together. Her heart ached. It seemed that her lot in life was not to enjoy the bliss of love returned, but the agony of love relinquished.

"Sorry, what was that, Shouji-san?" Kahoko asked dumbly, her face snapping to stare at the girl beside her.

_Did she just say that Tsukimori-kun…_likes me_?_

Megumi looked solemnly at her senpai. She had to make her see that she was his happiness. "_I suppose in the end, this is the only thing I can do for you, Tsukimori-senpai…_" She bit her lip before starting again.

"Y-you're the only person Tsukimori-senpai has told about leaving for Vienna," she explained with a slight quaver in her voice. "No one else knows of it; not even Amou-senpai suspects it." She paused as the news sank into Kahoko's brain. She looked away in shame. "For a long time, I've known that you were the one who resided in Tsukimori-senpai's heart, but…I guess I hoped that if I worked hard enough, he'd finally take notice of me." She laughed mirthlessly at her folly before falling momentarily into a miserable silence. "But in the end," she whispered despondently, "I didn't matter to him." She looked sadly at the calluses that she had built on her fingers from her violin practice. "Not the way you matter to him, Hino-senpai."

At the first-year's confession, something snapped inside of her. She started laughing, the harsh, joyless sound erupting from her lungs.

Megumi looked at her strangely, slightly shocked. Why was she laughing like that? This wasn't the way things were supposed to turn out at all.

Kahoko laughed and laughed and laughed. Then, just as suddenly, she stopped, her face hidden by a wall of crimson hair. "So…Tsukimori-kun likes me?" she whispered.

Megumi nodded slowly, unsure of what had just happened to the girl.

She looked up at her companion, revealing the tears that had begun to flow down her cheeks. "This…This can't be…" Her tears fell freely from her eyes. "Yunoki-senpai…Tsuchiura-kun…Tsukimori-kun…all of them…they…they all liked me…" she gasped for breath. "But…but of course…" she sobbed, "The o-one that I l-like isn't o-one of them…"

Megumi's eyes widened in empathy.

Kahoko's chest ached as she released her pain and yearning through her sobs. "You've always been by my side Hihara-senpai…so why is it now, I can't find you?" she whispered, regaining slight control of her voice. Miserable teardrops slid down her nose, making it drip.

Megumi felt tears spring to her eyes. "_I guess even Hino-senpai knows what it's like to be in love with someone who doesn't love you…_" She stretched out a hand to Kahoko who took it readily. For the rest of the lunch period, they wept together, bonded by the pain of love lost.

At the end of the lunch hour, Kahoko walked slowly down the stairs to a trashcan. She then dropped her chocolates into the trashcan little by little. _I'll give up on you, Hihara-senpai._ Four chocolates fell into the trash. _Your friendship is good enough for me._ Three with a swirl design tumbled into the abyss. _I don't need love._ She faltered for a moment before allowing the refreshing, green-mint-filled chocolates that she had slaved over for hours to fall from her fingers. _I've already hurt so many people…_ She threw the last chocolate into the darkness and walked toward the classroom, pale, but resolute.

Even while she told herself that friendship was good enough, she knew subconsciously that their friendship couldn't return to the way it was before.

* * *

**Poor girls… If this were a Japanese movie, the story would probably end here.**

**But it's not, so we'll see where this journey takes us next week.**


	47. Run

**Hello again! I'm sure everyone probably positively hates me after those last two chapters, so let's see how I do at redeeming myself. :P**

**Song lyrics will look like this: (Kazuki listens to music) **~"_lyrics_"~

**Thank you for your support!**

* * *

Kazuki opened his eyes and stared numbly at the ceiling. As he had for the last three weeks, he played that torturous scene in his head. Not the one from Valentine's Day, but another.

*flashback*

For the two weeks after that Valentine's Day, life had become gray. He went about in a confused state. Even as he fought his sadness, he worked to come to terms with her new relationship. Finally, the day came for him to prove he could face the fire: February 27, Kahoko's birthday.

He had spent days carefully working up the nerve to face her. He walked slowly over to the General Studies Department after school, simultaneously scolding and encouraging himself. _**It's her birthday. I can't keep avoiding her like this. I need to get over it. She's Tsukimori's now.**_ As he dwelled unhappily on that thought, he remembered their breathtaking duet at the villa. Could he really be surprised? _**Think of her happiness. Don't be selfish.**_

When he was almost at her classroom, he lifted his eyes from the ground. As he turned the corner, his spirits lifted the instant he saw her step into the hall. But just as he was about to call out to her, another beat him to the punch.

"Hino, are you ready to go?" Len asked, coming from the other direction.

"Yes!" the girl responded in excitement.

As the two walked away, he simply stood there, mouth half-open, watching his dreams shatter before his eyes yet again.

*end flashback*

Since then, he had thrown himself into anything and everything that could provide even temporary reprieve from thoughts of her. And now, after three and a half solid weeks of studying, running around, mercilessly preparing for exit exams with a fervor that would have thrilled his teachers if they hadn't been so concerned about how absolutely terrible he looked, he had nothing to do to distract himself from his thoughts of Kahoko and Len.

He sat up and dragged himself out of bed. _**I guess I'll go jogging…Playing my trumpet is too painful. Whenever I play, all I can think of is her. I have to get over this…I need to if I ever hope to be her friend.**_ He grabbed his MP3 player. _**As I am right now, I can't face her. Why is knowing that she's Tsukimori's so agonizing?**_ He pulled on his running shoes. _**She's happy, right? I should be happy for her…I always told myself that her happiness was mine. If I truly meant that, I should be able to get over this right?**_ He went outside and started to stretch. _**When did I stop simply wanting what was best for her and start wanting her?**_ He shook his head. _**It doesn't matter. What's done is done. Now I need to pick up the pieces of my heart so I can go back to being the best friend I can be. Besides,**_ he thought dismally, _**it's not like I ever really had a chance with her. Especially since…especially since I was too much of a coward to ever tell her how I felt.**_ He felt ready to cry as he jogged along, listening to music. _**I have to get over this. I have to be strong; if I see her as I am right now, I'll only worry her. So until I can do it…I'll run.**_

He sped up.

_**I'll run until I forget the way I feel about her.**_

He sped up some more.

_**I'll run until it doesn't hurt anymore.**_

He sped up even more.

_**I'll run because when it mattered most, I couldn't grasp my chance for happiness before it was snatched away from me.**_

He fought back tears.

_**I let her slip through my fingers by being too slow.**_

He ran faster.

_**Now I've lost her forever.**_

His stride lengthened.

_**And it's all because I didn't take a chance.**_

His arms swung more quickly.

_**So for my atonement, I'll run.**_

He pushed himself harder.

_**I'll run because I couldn't then.**_

He pushed himself further.

_**Even when I went to confess**_, he thought bitterly, _**I was walking.**_

He ran and ran and ran.

_**Kaho-chan…!**_ his heart cried as his legs gave out under him. He fell, sprawled across the sidewalk, lungs burning, legs screaming, tears of agony stinging in his eyes as he gasped in anguish.

"Hihara-kun!" Noriko called out, having seen him fall. "Are you alright?!" She ran up to the boy, her date following close behind.

_**Noriko-san?! Just my luck! I can't let her see me like this! Smile, Kazuki, smile…**_

"Ah, I'm fine, thanks." He forced a smile as he staggered to his feet.

"Are you sure?" the girl asked in concern, checking him over for serious injuries, "That was quite a spill you took."

"Yeah, I'm fine, honest."

Noriko quietly examined the smiling youth before her. It was a sobering sight. "_You're lying Hihara-kun…Your smile fails to give your eyes the joy it usually does. What's happened to you?_"

"So…have you met Kaho-chan's new boyfriend?" he heard himself ask, the words a dagger thrust through his heart. Why did he insist on hurting himself more?

"Boyfriend…?" Noriko looked puzzled; then her eyes widened as something clicked. "Oh…"

The dagger twisted, ripping an even deeper gash. "Yeah…Tsukimori is a great guy, isn't he?" he forced himself to say.

"I'll have to take your word on that since I haven't met him, but actually, he's umm...not her boyfriend. Well, not yet, at least…" Noriko felt a little surprised when the little fib at the end fell glibly out of her mouth.

"_The one she likes is you, Hihara-kun…How in the world did this mix-up happen?_" she thought sadly. "_Kaho hasn't been herself the last few weeks either…It's like, one day she just gave up._"

"She's still wavering a bit…" Noriko looked Kazuki straight in the eye, praying that she was doing the right thing by pushing him. "You wouldn't, umm, be able to help her make up her mind in any way, would you Hihara-kun?" she asked solemnly.

Kazuki stood frozen; time had stopped. _**He's not her boyfriend…she's wavering…Could it be…?**_

"Hihara-kun?" Noriko asked in concern.

"Oh!" He gave a little start. "Uh, I, uh, maybe…I can help her…" he replied, coming back to Earth.

Unbeknownst to him, Noriko could see a change come over him at her encouragement. "Good," she smiled at him in relief.

"_Maybe things will turn out alright for you, Kaho._"

"Well, if you're sure you're ok, then I need to get going." She smiled at him. "I'll see you around Hihara-kun. Bye!" She and her date walked away, leaving Kazuki with his thoughts.

Kazuki tottered unsteadily over to a nearby hill and lay back on the grass. _**Now that I've been given a second chance, I need to make sure I use it. I've learned my lesson.**_ He almost cried in relief. He had been given a new license on life. The hope he had abandoned had been revived by Noriko's words. _**Thank goodness I didn't have to pay the ultimate price for it.**_ He shook his head to avoid dwelling on the thought. _**I need to confess to her. But how? I suppose I could go with my original plan, but it doesn't seem adequate anymore…**_

As he brooded, an unfamiliar song trickled into his consciousness (youtube...com [/] watch?v=Do2wPTRJD5Y).

~"_Forgive me my weakness, but I don't know why, without you it's hard to survive._"~

He bolted upright as if shocked by lightning. Yes! That was exactly it! _**It's true…I can't survive without her…I've been a mess this past month…Maybe that makes me weak, but I can't help that…When you're in love, you can't always help it…**_

~"_'Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling. And every time we kiss, I swear I can fly! Can't you feel my heart beat fast? I want this to last. Need you by my side. 'Cause every time we touch, I feel the static. And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky! Can't you hear my heart beat so? I can't let you go. Want you in my life._"~

_**I've never kissed her, but every time we touch, I feel like my heart is going to burst with happiness.**_ He smiled up at the blue sky, reminiscing about her and their times together until the words kicked back in.

~"_Your arms are my castle; your heart is my sky. They wipe away tears that I cry...__The good and the bad times, we've been through them all. You make me rise when I fall!_"~

_**We have been through a lot haven't we, Kaho-chan?**_

~"_'Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling. And every time we kiss, I swear I can fly! Can't you feel my heart beat fast? I want this to last. Need you by my side. 'Cause every time we touch, I feel the static. And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky! Can't you hear my heart beat so? I can't let you go. Want you in my life._"~

_**I want to continue going through life with you, Kaho-chan. I'd give anything to make you smile. I want to be better for you…**_

When the song came to a close, he pulled out his MP3 player and viewed the song information: _Everytime We Touch - Cascada_. _**I don't know who in the world put this song on my MP3 player, but thank you.**_ He stood up and looked at the budding cherry blossoms. _**I think I know how to confess.**_

* * *

**Yay! He's back! Now maybe we'll get to see a **_**real**_** confession.**

**This chapter is sort of written in response to "Rainbow without Colors" by season's call. It's a good, if very sad read.**

**Oh! For those of you who didn't actually watch the video, it's a Kazuki x Kahoko one. (^_^)**

**I'm just now realizing how weirdly this story is structured. It's like up, down, slooooow...build...up, peak, crash down, crash further down, down-Up! It's like I'm writing based on one of those drop-tower thrill rides (like Supreme Scream at Knott's Berry Farm or The Tower of Terror at Disneyworld) I like. XD**


	48. Every Time We Touch

**Hello! Just like in the prologue, I'm integrating a video in with the story, so please be sure to watch it (second link in this chapter). I did my best to make the text legible over the images and video clips, but if it's still too hard to read, you can find a link in the video description to a plain version that has no clips or images.**

**The notation for song lyrics is the same as last chapter: **~"_lyrics_"~

* * *

"You've been practicing really hard lately," Azuma commented, walking up behind Kazuki.

"Yu-Yunoki! Don't surprise me like that!" Kazuki cried, quickly hiding the score sheets he had been scribbling on.

Azuma chuckled. "What are you composing?"

Kazuki got a soft look in his eye. "I want to write a song to someone special to me…"

Azuma nodded slowly, understanding him. "I wish you luck, Hihara." He smiled and gave a small wave good-bye.

"Thanks." Kazuki replied gratefully.

Looking down at a score sheet that was marked, "First Feelings," he smiled and applied himself to it with a focus that could rival even Len's. _**Kaho-chan…I'll put all my feelings for you into this one song…**_

~ (^_^) ~

_Hey, there's Fuyuumi-chan._ Kahoko noticed the girl standing by herself. _I wonder why she's waiting by Lili's statue…maybe I can ask her to help me with my music theory._ As Kahoko opened her mouth to call to her friend, another voice called out first, from the other side of the statue.

"Fuyuumi-san…"

Kahoko watched the girl turn toward Keiichi with joy written all over her face.

"Hello, Shimizu-kun…" Shouko murmured shyly.

"Hello…" He smiled at her. "There's a new exhibit…about the history of woodwind instruments…at the museum…Would you like to go…?"

"Yes!" she replied happily.

The two walked closely together as they headed toward the gate.

_Oh, right…Fuyuumi-chan is dating Shimizu-kun now…I've been in such a fog these past few weeks that I completely forgot about it._ She smiled a bit. _Shimizu-kun seems a little less sleepy around her…_ Kahoko couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart. _Don't be like that. You should be happy for her…_ she chided herself. Despite her good intentions though, she felt the feelings of sadness she thought she had managed to bury over the five weeks rising up in her again.

"Maybe I'll do some shopping," she muttered to herself, heading to the mall. She needed to treat herself to something.

For a while she wandered around from shop to shop, finally sitting down at a bench with some ice cream. As she sat, eating, she let her turbulent mind rest and tried to enjoy the mall atmosphere. A song began to play over the loudspeakers, softly easing its way around the girl (youtube...com [/] watch?v=lt9F5WXsGLw).

~"_I still hear your voice when you sleep next to me; I still feel your touch in my dreams…Forgive me my weakness, but I don't know why, without you it's hard to survive._"~

She felt her heart wrench in agony. _Is this some kind of sick joke? I was doing just fine; I was managing to forget how much I like him. Why is this happening again?_

~"'_Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling. And every time we kiss, I swear I can fly. Can't you feel my heart beat fast? I want this to last. Need you by my side._"~

_Holding hands on the bus…Receiving the music box…Being carried in the gym…No! No! Don't do it! Resist! !_

~"'_Cause every time we touch, I feel the static. And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky. Can't you feel my heart beat so? I can't let you go. Want you in my life._"~

_That night at Fuyuumi-chan's villa…That time he spent the night…Everything that happened at the party…Stop it! Stop remembering!_

~"_Your arms are my castle; your heart is my sky. They wipe away tears that I cry._"~

Her heart ached so much. She could feel the defenses she had slowly been building around her heart weaken and crumble as she began to give in to her memories, relishing the way it had felt to be in his arms.

_Reliving these moments can't be a good idea, but then…why can't I stop them? Why does it feel so sweet to remember? Every memory brings the sting of loss, but the sweetness that I feel along with the pain is intoxicating…_

~"_The good and the bad times, we've been through them all. You make me rise when I fall._"~

_So many memories…we had so many memories together…senpai…_ A tear fell on her hand. She wiped her eyes, quickly. _Be strong, Kahoko…_ In vain, she tried to hold back the flood of memories and the flood of tears that threatened to burst out with every passing second.

~"'_Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling. And every time we kiss, I swear I can fly. Can't you feel my heart beat fast? I want this to last. Need you by my side. 'Cause every time we touch, I feel the static. And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky. Can't you feel my heart beat so? I can't let you go. Want you in my life._"~

That did it. She raced out of the mall, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't stay there and listen to that…that song! But even as she exited the building, the lyrics tormented her, filling her ears with their haunting refrain.

~"_Every time we touch…I get this feeling…Every time we kiss, I swear I can fly…Can't you feel my heart beat fast? I want this to last…need you by my side. 'Cause every time we touch…I feel the static…Every time we kiss, I reach for the sky…Can't you feel my heart beat so? I can't let you go…want you in my life…_"~

She ran and ran until she finally collapsed next to a tree in the park, sobbing her heart out. _Hihara-senpai…I still like you…I like you so much it hurts…Why is it that now when I need you most, I find myself alone?_

"Is it possible for someone to cry this much?" she questioned the blue sky. Her heart felt as if it were breaking anew.

"Kaho-chan?" a voice tenuously murmured.

Her heart stopped as she slowly turned. There he was. He was here, standing right behind her. The person she had wanted to see the most for the past month and a half. As if answering the cry of her heart, he had materialized before her.

"Kaho-chan…" Kazuki whispered, his eyes and voice full of emotion, "What's wrong? Why are you so sad?" Without thinking, he strode over to her and pulled her into his arms. "You know you can tell me anything…" he whispered, stroking her hair gently.

_Is this happening? Is this really happening? Hihara-senpai…_ As her mind raced, she felt herself begin to melt into his strong, comforting, warm embrace. _No!_ She resisted. _I can't! I decided to give him up, didn't I? But…but if I'm so set on giving him up, then why do I want nothing more than this?_ She gave in, leaning on him.

_**Kaho-chan**__**…**_ How long had he yearned to hold her in his arms like this? His heart ached as if moved by the beauty of the moment. He impulsively pressed his lips to her hair, but immediately regretted it when she stiffened in his grasp.

"Kaho-chan…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" he apologized as he let go of her.

Kahoko stared at him in shock. There was something in his voice that told her that he wasn't apologizing about holding her. Did he realize that she had been crying over him?

"I never realized that you were in such pain…I've been so wrapped up in myself… What's wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Uh…"

He hadn't figured it out.

"Problems…of the heart…I guess…" she trailed off vaguely, ignoring the part of her that was screaming for her to confide in him, to confess her feelings for him.

Kazuki smiled at her understandingly. "I kind of know what you mean…"

As he watched her look away miserably, his heart went out to her. He longed to take away her sadness and bring her joy. He wanted her to smile again. _**What can I do for you Kaho-chan…?**_ Suddenly, he straightened up, his eyes full of purpose. _**I can play…Even if she rejects my love, I can still play for her. If I can confess, then that's good enough. I can learn to be her friend if that's what she wants…I was given this moment for a reason. It's now or never. Even if she rejects me, I want to play this song for her.**_ He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. _**My wish is for the emotion I put into this song to raise her spirits, even if it's just a little bit.**_

"Actually…I've been working on a song…" he started off nervously.

"A song?" Kahoko looked at him questioningly, allowing herself to be distracted from her turbulent thoughts.

_So that's where he's been._ She smiled softly at him. _I guess the life of a senior is pretty tough. That's probably why I haven't seen him around._

"Yes…" he looked at her tenderly, softly, lovingly. "Would you like to hear it?"

As she met his gaze, she felt as if time had paused just for them. _That look…Could it be…?_ She slowly nodded her head, hope slowly but surely rising in her.

Kazuki unpacked his trumpet and began to play (youtube…com/watch?v=4Lpr-3R80Wk).

He lowered his trumpet and turned his adoring gaze to Kahoko. He stared admiringly and lovingly at this girl who had opened up his horizons so much, this girl who charmed every fiber of his being.

The wind plucked cherry blossom petals into a soft haze around them. Her hair blew softly to the side as the petals twirled, a few dropping delicately to kiss her cheek before flitting away.

He moved closer to her and looked down at her delicate face. Amber eyes met gold. "Kaho-chan…I love you…"

* * *

**I'm in the mood for a cliff hanger, so that will be all for today. (^_^) I suppose we all know what her answer will be, but since we're only like…3 chapters away from the end, please humor my selfish whim. (^_~)***

**It was actually because I saw the video for **_**Every Time We Touch**_** that I decided to write this story. The song was just so sweet and slow and romantic, and I wanted to write a story like that for Kazuki and Kahoko. (I probably didn't succeed, but it was a nice thought. f(^^; )) I even planned to have Kazuki listen to this version when he went running. But after a while, I realized that no one in their right minds would put such a slow song on their running playlist, and switched it to the fast version. It's got a pretty definitive beat, which, according to my friends who run, seems to be one of the more important things for a good running song. It's not quite as coincidental as I'd have liked, but all-in-all, I think it worked out alright.**

**I wasn't originally planning to have an actual song for him to play during his confession, but then the other day, I happened to be trying to find the song Kazuki plays right after the band-aid scene, and stumbled upon **_**Hajimete no Kimochi**_** (**_**First Feelings**_**). When I listened to it, I knew in my bones that if he were to play a song as part of a confession, this would be the song. I found out later that apparently he sings this song, but I don't think that he really sounds like himself for some reason. For those who are interested, here's a link to the sung version: youtube...com [/] watch?v=j6-WFjb37gw. Here's also a link to the lyrics and their translation: s4…zetaboards...com [/] Brand_New_Breeze/topic/7503276/?author=32281. For some reason, I've got the pre-chorus(?) stuck in my head. *sings to self* "Kimi wo miteru. Itsumo miteru dakedo, sore dake janakute. Kimi no tame ni, nani ga dekiru darou?" (The basic gist here is that she's the only one he sees, and he wishes there was something he could do for her.)**

**Maybe it's because I heard the trumpet version first, but I like it better than the sung version. It seems warmer and brighter and more gentle and innocent somehow. To me, it evokes more of a sense of a budding first love.**

**Thank you everyone for your support, and especially for reviews! Stay tuned for "Love's Reply."**


	49. Love's Reply

**ShadowedNinja****: I'm so glad to meet another HinoHara supporter! They are the best! Thank you for your encouraging words. (^_^)  
**

* * *

"_Kaho-chan…I love you…"_ The words echoed over and over in her head. He loved her. The boy she had tried to avoid thinking of day and night loved her.

He watched her quietly, his soulful eyes silently pleading for an answer.

She closed her eyes momentarily and looked shyly at the ground. _He loves me…Hihara-senpai loves me…_ She silently processed the information, her head reeling from the revelation. _He loves me…_ Her heart raced; her face flushed; she breathed shallowly. _He loves me…_ Tears of joy sprang to her eyes. _He loves me!_

Kazuki felt his heart begin to sink at her prolonged silence. _**I guess she doesn't feel the same…**_ He clenched his fist and straightened up. _**Even if I'm not the one she loves, it's alright.**_ He gazed determinedly at her bowed head. _**It's alright because her happiness is my happiness. I can truly say that. After Valentine's Day, I ran away, but this time I'll stand my ground.**_ He closed his eyes, painfully. _**I love you, Kaho-chan…**_ He took a deep breath. _**I love you enough to let you go.**_

"It's ok if you don't love me back," he whispered.

Kahoko's head shot up in shock and panic. This wasn't what she wanted!

"I just wanted you to know how I felt. I couldn't bear the pain of not telling you my true feelings." He met her eyes solemnly. "I love you, Kaho-chan, but I understand…that the one you love isn't me."

She opened her mouth to protest, but the words wouldn't form on her lips. _No! You've got it all wrong! I love you too senpai…!_ her head screamed. Her heart wrenched painfully as she panicked. _Why can't I respond to him? What's wrong with me?_ She trembled, longing to tell him that she loved him as well, that his feelings were returned.

He smiled at her softly yet sadly, misunderstanding her consternation. "I promise not to trouble you with my feelings after this, so I hope we can continue to be friends." He glanced at the ground briefly before bending down and packing up his trumpet. "Well,"—he turned with a little wave—"I guess I'll see you around…" He walked away. At this point, it was all he could do.

_No…he's leaving…he's leaving! It can't end like this…!_ she berated herself as she watched his retreating back grow smaller and smaller.

"Hihara-senpai…" she breathed in desperation and longing, finally finding her voice. She shook her head.

_No…I couldn't say it that day in the park, but now I want to with all my heart…_

She ran after him crying three fateful words into the wind. "Wait! Kazuki-senpai…!"

He came to an abrupt halt and whirled around. _**Kazuki-senpai…?**_ His eyes widened as he saw her running toward him, kicking up a cloud of fluttering pink and white, the expression on her face banishing all doubts. Running back to her, they met on the summit of the hill, and when she came near enough, he swept her into his embrace and melded her lips with his, kissing her deeply.

When they broke their kiss, he drew her closer to himself. "Kaho-chan…" he murmured tenderly in her ear.

"Kazuki-senpai…" she whispered back burying her face in his shoulder.

They had found where they belonged.

* * *

**Haha! Psych! Well, I suppose that's only applicable if you thought the three words were going to be ****I love you****. :P**

**Yay! They're finally together! Leave it to Kahoko to spaz at the most critical moment! XD It seems fitting for their relationship to start while the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Sakura are so pretty.**

**Sorry it's so short, but to be fair, it's really just a continuation of the last chapter.  
**

**Four couples down and one to go. (^_^)**


	50. That I May Someday Reach Him

**Almost finished; we're almost finished; we're almost finished! Thank you everyone who has been supporting this story by reading it, following it, adding it to their favorites, or reviewing it!**

* * *

"What?! Tsukimori is leaving to study abroad in Vienna?!" Kazuki asked in shock. The two of them were sitting by the tree, holding hands on a pink-and-white bed of cherry blossom petals.

"Yes. I guess he's transferring to a school out there at the end of the school year," Kahoko replied soberly.

"So that's what you two were talking about…" He blushed, glancing down at the red-haired girl next to him. "I thought that was the worst day in my entire life…Who knew that you had been planning to confess to me too…" he murmured wistfully. He cupped her face in his hands. "I'm sorry for putting you through that. If I had been brave enough to stay, I'd have known what was going on…And I wouldn't have avoided you…" He looked ashamed. "I've caused you so much pain…"

"Kazuki-senpai…" she moved forward to peck his cheek lightly before leaning her head against his shoulder. All was forgiven. "At least we're together now."

A small smile tugged at his lips as he leaned his head lightly on hers. For a few minutes, they simply sat there, enjoying the moment as the spring breeze ruffled through the trees. Eventually, he changed the subject back, pulling away to look down at her face. "It's too bad although I'm sure he'll do well in Vienna. You could always tell that he was aiming to be a pro."

Kahoko nodded in agreement. "It's true, but I guess I can't help but feel kind of sad about it…I was looking forward to performing with him next year…" She clapped her hands together, remembering something. "Oh! I don't think I've told you yet! I just got a new violin teacher! On my birthday, Tsukimori-kun took me to meet his old violin teacher and convinced him to take me on as a student!"

Kazuki mentally kicked himself as the pieces fell into place. No wonder she had sounded so excited to see Len that day. _**Next year and every year after that, I'll make it up to her**_, he fervently swore to himself.

She sighed again, leaning back against the tree. "If we had performed together, we might have actually had a chance at being able to play a relatively difficult piece."

Kazuki sat quietly, thinking. Suddenly, a grin crept up his face. "Kaho-chan, I've got an idea."

~ o(^_^)o ~

"Tsukimori-kun!"

It was the beginning of June. Len was to leave the following day.

_**Hino?**_ He turned to face the out-of-breath girl.

"What is it?"

"I accidentally left one of your CDs at home. Would you mind walking me home so I can return it to you?"

Len couldn't help but be slightly surprised. It was no secret that Kahoko and Kazuki were dating. Why wasn't he escorting her home? "I suppose it's alright," he acquiesced.

"Thank you Tsukimori-kun! I'll meet you at the front gate?"

He nodded. "I'll see you then."

_**Strange…since the Valentine's Day duet clinic, I haven't walked her home. I wonder why today?**_

~ (?_?) ~

"Thanks for walking with me, Tsukimori-kun."

He gave a quick nod. "Well, you had one of my CDs…"

"But still…" Kahoko smiled quietly, "I'm sure since it's your last day you probably had things to do, people to see…"

_**The only person I really wanted to say good-bye to is you…**_

Suddenly, a black limousine pulled up beside them. They glanced at it curiously.

Azuma stepped out and smiled at the two. "Please get in."

"But…But Yunoki-senpai…we're…"

Ignoring her, he gently pushed her into the car. Len quickly jumped forward to stop him, but as a result, he found himself dragged into the limousine also.

"Surprise~!" everyone yelled, the flash from Nami's camera momentarily blinding him.

He blinked as his eyes surveyed Azuma, Sumire, Kazuki, Manami, Ryoutaro, Shouko, Keiichi, Nami, and Megumi. Once he regained his faculties, he looked coolly at Azuma and asked, "What is the meaning of all this?"

"It was Kazuki-senpai's idea," Kahoko explained, smiling at him. "We wanted to throw you a going away party."

"We asked your mom what your favorite restaurant is, so we're taking you there for dinner, and then we're going to a concert," Kazuki continued. He looked exuberant. "Your parents got us _box seats_! Is that cool or what?!"

Ryoutaro looked like he was trying to suppress a laugh. "Here's your…outfit…" He smirked at him.

Len' eyes widened in horror when he realized that somehow or another, his repulsive dinner jacket from his great-aunt Kimie had been brought for him. It was light pink with _frills_ all the way down the front. Only family obligation had prevented him from throwing it out. He glared at Ryoutaro. _**He **_**would**_** pick this out!**_

*giggle*

He glanced sharply at Megumi, who covered her mouth, in an attempt to stifle her laughter. But then Ryoutaro joined in with a hearty guffaw, followed by everyone else. Soon the whole car, with the exception of him, was laughing at the ghastly outfit.

"Now, now, everyone," Azuma said smoothly, recovering first. "It's not nice to poke fun at the man of the hour."

Sumire agreed and pulled out a different, _normal_ dinner jacket, "Don't worry, Tsukimori-san. This is your _real_ dinner jacket. It's probably a bit more…suitable." Her eyes twinkled at him.

He inclined his head in gratitude and relief.

"Ok! Here we are! Station one!" Kazuki cried.

_**Station one?**_

Sumire explained to him, "As none of us are currently properly dressed for this occasion, we're stopping by my house to get ready." She smiled at the girls after they had gotten out of the limousine. "I've requested the services of many different hair dressers and make-up artists, so we should be able to get ready quickly."

"That's the heiress of the Hanazawa Corporation for you!" Nami exclaimed excitedly. While she was a whiz at fashion, she was abysmal with hair—one of the few things she couldn't change no matter how much she tried, so whenever she had a chance to get her hair fixed for her, she always went all-out.

Everyone ran off to get ready. They surprisingly managed to reconvene in less than an hour thanks to all the assistance they had been given. As they all walked out to the car, Len couldn't help but glance at Kahoko. She looked so lovely in her soft, white dress.

"Feeling jealous?" Nami pried.

"Why would I be jealous?" Len responded frigidly, sending her a cold look.

"We-ell…in a sense, Hihara-senpai won the prize. It was pretty obvious that all of you boys had a little bit of a crush on Hino-chan."

Megumi cringed. "Amou-senpai…this is supposed to be Tsukimori-senpai's farewell party, so…could you please not bother him like that?" she hesitantly, yet firmly requested.

Nami pouted. "Oh very well, but only because this is your party Tsukimori-kun."

_**Thank you, Shouji-san. At least now I can get through this evening in peace.**_ He climbed into the car.

~ (-_-) ~

The rest of the evening went by quickly. Despite himself, Len found himself enjoying his farewell party. Dinner was decent. While the food itself had been delicious, the loud, never-ending chatter spoiled the atmosphere for him. And since he was Nami's escort, he had to resign himself to the laws of social graces and talk to her, which was torturous when she got into her journalist mode. Thankfully the concert had erased all unpleasant feelings and he was able to enjoy the music in peace. Yes, the evening had been good overall. He was, however slightly irritated when everyone invited themselves over to his house after the concert.

_**They wanted to thank my parents for the seats, so I guess it can't be helped, but I really should be getting ready…**_

He went upstairs to his room to change and put away his violin. When he arrived at the practice room he had been using previously, he paused for a minute at the door with a slight frown. Someone was playing inside. When he peeked in, he was greeted by the sight of Megumi in the middle of _Ave Maria_ on the violin he had lent her. He noted that she was practicing a section that she had asked him about a couple days previous. She was working hard.

Unaware of his presence, she sighed. "I just can't seem to get that part right." Her gaze drifted to the piano. She bit her lip for a second before hesitantly sitting down. As her fingers lightly caressed the keys though, all hesitance fell away as she lost herself in the song (youtube...com [/] watch?v=QEXpfNWBnAY), when she got to the section that had been troubling her, she breezed through it as easily as breathing.

Len watched and listened. As the notes wove their way around the room, he vaguely noticed the way she moved with the song, the soft moonlight glowing off the keys and her luminescent skin. He idly noted the lithe grace of her long neck when she brought her head back slightly at the crescendo and the way the light breeze from the open window played with the chiffon of her sea foam green dress, reminiscent of the soothing nature of the ocean's ebb and flow. He more specifically paid attention to the sweet softness she infused into every note, and the life that she breathed into the instrument.

When the song came to a close, she sighed happily. There was no doubt that the piano had been made for her in a way that the violin never would be. Turning slightly, she froze when she caught sight of Len standing in the doorway.

The two observed each other silently in the moonlit room, eyes locked, unsure of how to approach the situation.

Suddenly finding her voice, Megumi apologized, "Oh! I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't have used the piano without permission!" She hastily vacated the piano bench and bowed. "I…I don't really care that much for large groups, and when I saw the practice room on my way back from the washroom, I just…" she trailed off.

"I understand." Len started to leave.

"Tsukimori-senpai!"

He turned and waited for her to continue.

"Umm…I was wondering…If…May…May I write to you while you're in Vienna?" she asked quietly.

_**Shouji-san…**_

"You…You don't have to write back…I just…"

She closed her eyes and thought, "_I don't want to lose you, Tsukimori-senpai. I know you don't love me, but…if I can write to you, then at least I'll still be connected to you, even if it's in such an insignificant way…_"

She heard the door click as he left the room. She slumped down on the piano bench. "I guess…I can't…" she whispered quietly. Tears started to form in her eyes. Just as her vision began to blur, a piece of paper with writing on it filled her view. She looked up, her teal-green eyes meeting his gold ones.

"This is my new address in Vienna. I look forward to hearing about next year's happenings," Len uttered quietly.

She gratefully took the piece of paper, rising from the bench. "Yes! Thank you!" She smiled up at him. As she turned to leave the room, she paused and said to Len, "Someday, I'll become a wonderful pianist and study abroad in Vienna too." She blushed self-consciously, nervously pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I…I just wanted you to know…"

Len watched her retreating back and whispered to the empty room, "I hope you'll make it Shouji-san."

Although Kahoko still filled much of his heart, Megumi had managed to reach a small corner of it. She prayed that someday she would be able to reach him.

* * *

**Ok, so I know they're not actually together, but considering that Len was leaving in like…two months, I didn't think it was terribly realistic for them to start dating before he left. He'd probably be pretty busy preparing to leave, so between that and his practicing, when would he have time for girls? At least we're leaving their relationship on a high note.**

**I always like the titles for Megumi's chapters the best. I feel like they're so much more poetic than the other ones I come up with. (^_^)  
**

**One last chapter and an epilogue left. What do you think the final chapter will be? (^_~)* Any guesses?**


	51. Eternally

**Just like a couple chapters ago, song lyrics will look like this:** ~"_lyrics_"~

**I recommend watching the video in this chapter (at some point). It's probably one of the best Kazuki x Kahoko videos I've ever seen on Youtube.**

**ShadowedNinja****: Technically there is an epilogue after this, but you're right. This is the last official chapter. I hope you like it!**

* * *

"All in all, I'd say it was a good night, wouldn't you Kaho-chan?" Kazuki grinned down at his girlfriend.

Five years had passed since Kazuki had graduated from Seiso. Five wonderful years filled with more love than most people knew in a lifetime.

"Yes, I'm glad you were able to make it to the concert. Weren't those kids cute?" Kahoko laughed. "But to think that I'll be holding a concert for my own students next year…I don't know whether to be excited or nervous," she said with a shudder.

"I think you'll be wonderful," Kazuki grinned, giving her a quick peck on the forehead. He became quiet. "Umm…Kaho-chan…do you mind if I take up a bit more of your time?" he asked tenderly.

"No, what did you have in mind, Kazuki-kun?"

"You'll see."

They headed toward the park. When they reached their tree, he stopped. He smiled as he placed his hand on it. _**Ever since I confessed my feelings for her, we've made sure to visit this tree every year.**_ He smiled proudly at his love. _**Now Kaho-chan has become a music teacher and I've had more people to play for than I ever expected. Who knew that there'd be such a demand for music therapy?**_

"Kaho-chan…I…I want to take you someplace I've never shown anyone else. To be honest, I'm not sure many others realize that this place exists."

"Sounds wonderful," Kahoko replied gaily. "Lead the way!"

~ (^_^) ~

"Alright, just around this bend here and down this stone path..."

"This is like a treasure hunt or something. I feel like we've been walking all over this park!" Kahoko gasped, letting out a slightly winded laugh.

"Are you alright, Kaho-chan? Did you want to rest?" he asked in concern, feeling guilty.

"No, no. I'll be fine, Kazuki-kun. I promise."

Getting a mischievous glint in his eye, he commanded, "Ok, then. Now close your eyes."

"What?"

"I said for you to close your eyes, and that's an order." He tried to look stern and serious, but failed at it miserably.

"Ok," she giggled as she complied. He was so cute when he tried to act stuffy and overly serious.

He was tempted to kiss her. She looked so sweet with her face upturned and her eyes closed, but he resisted. There would be time for that later. He scooped her up in his arms and ran.

Her eyes flew open in surprise. "Kazuki-kun?"

"Keep your eyes closed Kaho-chan. It'll be worth it; I promise." He flashed his famous grin and kept running.

She laughed at how mysterious he was being and did as she was told.

Soon he slowed down to a walk and lowered her to the ground. Covering her eyes, he turned her. "Ok, you can open them now," he whispered as he slid his hands from her face.

"Oh! It's beautiful!" she gasped.

They were standing in the middle of a grassy field dotted with colorful flowers by a small, clear stream. Fireflies dancing through the grass and the night sky surrounded them. Occasionally, a firefly would alight on one of the flowers, bestowing the bloom with a warm, enchanted glow. The light dew on the grass made the scene sparkle under the moonlight. The whole thing looked like a page out of a fairy tale.

Kazuki escorted her into the scene and began to dance with her in the field. As they danced, the night air was filled with their chatter and laughter. Finally they flopped to the ground, gazing up at the stars. They lay side by side, connected by their hands and hearts amidst the soft grass and the fragrant flowers.

"There are so many of them…" Kahoko murmured in wonder as she stared up at the stars sprinkled through the sky like diamonds on black velvet. "I didn't realize that there was anywhere around here with a view like this."

Kazuki smiled at his beloved's rapturous face. She captivated him, heart and soul. He was so happy, his heart threatened to burst.

Her eyes widened. "Kazuki-kun! Look!" she shouted, pointing to the sky. Shooting star after shooting star filled her vision as they streaked across the heavens.

"Tonight is the Perseids Meteor Shower. Make a wish Kaho-chan." He laughed. "Actually, make a hundred wishes. There are enough stars to wish upon."

Kahoko closed her eyes and wished.

Kazuki's eyes caressed her face, choosing to view the beauty here with him on the ground than that displayed in the sky. "What did you wish for, Kaho-chan?"

"You know I can't tell!" she replied laughingly. "If I tell you, then my wish won't come true."

Kazuki laughed. "Well, I guess I tried." His face suddenly became solemn, but his eyes watched her softly.

_Kazuki-kun…?_ Kahoko felt her heart begin to flutter.

"Kaho-chan," Kazuki whispered tenderly, sitting up and leaning over her.

"Y-yes?" she responded breathlessly, feeling herself getting lost in his amber eyes. Was this it?

His eyes twinkled. "May I have another dance?"

Blinking for a second in surprise, her face quickly broke out into a warm smile. "Of course."

Once they had regained their feet, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a slow, swaying dance. Then he quietly began to sing, looking deeply into her eyes, the words flowing out of him as solemnly as a vow (youtube...com [/] watch?v=O0uDDt9KzF0).

~"_I'll be your dream. I'll be your wish. I'll be your fantasy. I'll be your hope. I'll be your love, be everything that you need. I'll love you more with every breath—truly, madly, deeply do. I will be strong. I will be faithful. 'Cause I'm counting on a new beginning, a reason for living, a deeper meaning, yeah._"~

He swept her into a twirl before catching her in his arms again. As he held her tight, her cheek gently resting on his shoulder, he continued.

~"_I want to stand with you on a mountain. I want to bathe with you in the sea. I want to lay like this forever until the sky falls down on me._"~

Kahoko smiled as he sang; this was one of her favorite songs. But as she listened to him serenade her, she could feel her heart begin to race. There was something about the way he said the words...

~"_And when the stars are shining brightly in the velvet sky, I'll make a wish, send it to heaven, then make you want to cry the tears of joy for all the pleasure and the certainty…that we're surrounded by the comfort and protection of the highest powers. In lonely hours, the tears devour you._"~

He tenderly placed his hand on her cheek and pulled slightly away so he could look deeply in her eyes, and sang directly to her.

~"_I want to stand with you on a mountain. I want to bathe with you in the sea. I want to lay like this forever until the sky falls down on me._"~

She felt her heart stop as he pulled her into a deep hug. _Kazuki-kun…does this mean…?_

He drew back from her slightly, just enough for him to see her face. For a few seconds, the world passed by them as their eyes met. Then he slowly fished a box out of his pants' pocket and went down on one knee. He looked up into her eyes. "Kaho-chan…" He snapped open the box, revealing a diamond ring with two small amethysts on each side. "Would you like that too? Would you be willing to share the rest of our tomorrows? Will…" He closed his eyes a second to calm his nerves. If he ever had to deliver a line without messing it up, it was this one. "Will you marry me, Kahoko Hino?"

Time seemed suspended. The question echoed in her thoughts for a few seconds. She couldn't believe it. Tears began to spill out of her eyes.

"K-Kaho-chan?! Are you alright?!" He scrambled up and embraced her, comforting her. "Don't cry Kaho-chan! Please don't cry! I-I wouldn't have proposed to you if I thought you'd cry!"

"Yes…" she breathed, allowing herself to know that it wasn't a dream. It was real; it was all real.

"Sorry, did you say something?" Kazuki asked, pulling away slightly so he could see her face.

"Yes! Yes!" she cried, burying her face in his chest. "I'll marry you!"

"Kaho-chan…" he whispered, stroking her cherry locks. Tears of joy fell from his eyes. In this moment, all his dreams had come true; all his wishes had been fulfilled.

Kahoko felt deliriously happy as she gazed at the man in front of her. Over five years ago she had fallen in love with him, and now, under the stars and the moon, he had asked for her to become eternally his.

Kazuki slowly slipped the ring on her left ring finger. It was a perfect fit. _**Thank goodness Hino-san helped me find the right size**_, he thought as his eyes feasted on every detail about her as she admired her ring.

She looked up at him.

Their eyes met.

He slowly pulled her into an embrace, and then a kiss.

As they kissed, they made a perfect silhouette against the star-streaked sky.

* * *

***happy sigh* Yay! He proposed! *laughs* Unfortunately when my husband proposed to me, it was raining, so he couldn't do it outside like he planned, but even if it wasn't exactly what he planned, and it wasn't as picture perfect as this, it was perfect to me. After all, in the end, the place and setting don't really matter; all you need is the other person. (^_^)**

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Kasumisou, kazuki-senpai, and LittleBottle. Thank you so much for sticking with this story for so long and for supporting and encouraging me as I wrote it. You three are the best!**


	52. Epilogue

**Just in case it's hard to figure out, this epilogue takes place 5 years after last chapter, so 10 years after the concours.**

**It is songfic style, so song lyrics will be in bold. The song is "At the Beginning" from the motion picture **_**Anastasia**_**. Fitting, isn't it, considering the title of this story? Here's a video: youtube…com/watch?v=jjDEWuYGmwc.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

~ May 27, 2017 ~

Soft organ music lilted through the church as the sunlight filtered through the stained glass at the front. Everyone stood and turned as the doors in the back slowly began to open.

"Are you ready?" Mr. Fuyuumi asked his daughter who was nervously clutching his arm.

**We were strangers, starting out on a journey**

Looking down the aisle at her beloved who was standing near the front of the small church, she let out a deep breath and nodded. With that, they began their walk.

**Never dreaming, what we'd have to go through**

As they approached the front, Shouko was reminded of that Valentine's Day long ago for some reason. As her eyes met Keiichi's, her face broke out into a smile. Who knew it would be like this?

**Now here we are, and I'm suddenly standing  
At the beginning with you**

Keiichi smiled lovingly at the girl next to him. His bride was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

~ August 30, 2017 ~

Ryoutaro played piano as his wife rocked in a chair next to him, crocheting.

**No one told me I was going to find you**

When he started their song, Manami paused her work, simply appreciating the flowing melody of _La Campanella_ as it filled the room like the soothing patter of the rain.

**Unexpected, what you did to my heart  
When I lost hope, you were there to remind me**

Finishing the song, he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead, laying a hand gently on her stomach.

**This is the start**

They both exclaimed in excitement when they felt the new life in her kick for the first time.

**And life is a road and I wanna keep going**

"Only five more months," Manami murmured, as she laid her small hand over her husband's. Looking up into his eyes, she asked, "Will you be back from your concert tour in time?"

**Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing**

With a reassuring smile, he kissed her deeply.

**Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey**

Smiling down at the bump and rubbing it affectionately, he stated, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

~ May 27, 2017 ~

With Keiichi's last vow, he slipped Shouko's ring onto her finger.

**I'll be there when the world stops turning**

With Shouko's last vow, she slipped Keiichi's ring onto his finger.

**I'll be there when the storm is through**

Gazing happily into each other's eyes, they felt the rings settle on their fingers, a promise of eternity.

**In the end I wanna be standing  
At the beginning with you**

With a nod, the priest smiled at the couple. "You may kiss your bride."

~ September 7, 2017 ~

Azuma briskly walked out of his board meeting and into the elevator. When he walked out of the building, a limousine pulled up in front of him.

**We were strangers on a crazy adventure**

He kissed his wife affectionately and settled down next to their five-year-old son, giving him a quick peck on the top of his head.

**Never dreaming, how our dreams would come true**

"Are you ready?" he asked the boy as they stood in front of Seiso Academy's elementary school.

**Now here we stand, unafraid of the future**

Shouta nodded resolutely, giving his father's hand a squeeze.

**At the beginning with you**

The three of them walked toward the building hand-in-hand for his first day of school.

**And life is a road and I wanna keep going**

Both parents beamed with pride as their son introduced himself in front of his classmates. He didn't seem nervous in the least.

**Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing**

When Shouta played an excerpt of _Salut d'Amour_ before the class, Sumire teared up slightly. Her baby was growing up so fast.

**Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey**

When it was time to leave, they walked out hand-in-hand, leaving their son happily singing along with the rest his classmates.

~ October 21, 2017 ~

**I'll be there when the world stops turning**

Len gently tugged Megumi through a door in the back of the Viennese church where the concert had just finished.

**I'll be there when the storm is through**

She smiled quietly as they silently walked through the wooded courtyard, admiring the vibrant leaves as they clung to the trees.

**In the end I wanna be standing  
At the beginning with you**

He sat them down on a small stone bench, making sure to brush off the damp leaves before seating her, and looking deeply into her eyes, he opened a small box and asked her to be his.

**I knew there was somebody, somewhere**

Tears of joy sprang to her eyes as she took in the sight of the diamond ring. After five years, it had finally happened.

**Like me alone in the dark**

With a girlish laugh, she nodded, her tears of joy rendering her speechless.

**Now I know my dream will live on  
I've been waiting so long**

Smiling tenderly, he gently slid the band onto her ring finger.

**Nothing's gonna tear us apart**

Tilting her head up, they shared a sweet kiss as the colored leaves spun lazily by them.

~ December 31, 2017 ~

Kazuki and Kahoko's eleven-month-old daughter Kasumi gurgled in delight, her golden eyes wide with elation, when her Uncle Haruki lifted her high in the air like a plane.

**And life is a road and I wanna keep going**

Soon after the little girl landed, Haruki handed her off to Shou so he could help his wife convince their four-year-old son to eat his oden.

**Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing**

As the little girl tottered between her Uncle Shou and his fiancée, Grandpa Hino avidly videotaped every movement and Grandpa Hihara took pictures.

**Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey**

From the couch, Kahoko kept an eye on the festivities while talking to Noriko and her brother-in-law about Noriko's upcoming delivery in a couple of weeks.

**I'll be there when the world stops turning**

When Kasumi fell and began crying, the Grandmas swooped in to fuss and coo over her, shooing the others toward the TV to continue watching the Red and White Singing Competition.

**I'll be there when the storm is through**

When the children's section came on, Kahoko took a now happily gurgling Kasumi and they began singing and doing the motions along with the characters on the show while Kazuki videotaped them.

**In the end I wanna be standing**  
**At the beginning with you**

Once the children's songs were done, they all gathered together to take a family picture to document Kasumi's first New Year's Eve.

**Life is a road and I wanna keep going  
Love is a river, I wanna keep going on**

After having their end-of-the year soba, Kazuki stood at the door with his little girl curled up on his shoulder asleep, her head of green almost indistinguishable from his own, while Kahoko finished hugging her sister good-bye.

**Starting out on a journey**

With smiles and wishes for a happy new year, they headed home, hand-in-hand.

**Life is a road and I wanna keep going  
Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing**

As they tucked their daughter into her crib, they smiled down tiredly at their little angel.

**In the end I wanna be standing**  
**At the beginning**

Pulling his wife into his arms, Kazuki whispered, "Happy New Year, Kaho-chan."

**With you**

Pushing herself up onto her toes, they shared a sweet kiss. "Happy New Year, Kazuki."

**The End**

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**Thank you for coming along on this journey with us. *bows***

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**9/9/2012 Edit:  
Sorry for anyone who's reading this again and expected there to be more to the story! I just realized that I totally slacked on culture notes!**

**Oden is a simmered dish eaten in the winter that contains things like boiled eggs, root vegetables, and various kind of fish cake. The ingredients are simmered in a soy-sauce-flavored broth and eaten with rice. Like Haruki's son, I didn't care for it much when I was a kid although I like it now that I'm an adult. XD**

**In Japan, on New Year's Eve, there's a show called, "Kouhaku Uta Gassen," that airs right up until the new year. Kou is red;** **Haku**** is white; uta means song or singing; and gassen is like...battle. As you can infer from the title, it's a singing competition between two teams: red and white. Women are red and men are white. Different Japanese (and recently popular foreign) artists and groups (the side is determined by whether the group uses male or female vocals) perform for their respective sides and the audience (at the studio) and the judging panel vote on which side should win. Artists can only perform on the show if they are offered an invitation by the TV network, so it's a pretty big honor and very good publicity (pretty much everyone in Japan watches this thing on New Year's Eve). The groups and artists are a mix of contemporary artists and traditional (mostly enka). I always find it fun to sing along with the songs I know.**

**They also eat this thing called, "Toshi-koshi soba," right before/as the clock strikes midnight. Toshi is year; koshi (or kosu as you'll find it in a dictionary) is basically to come; and soba is a kind of super-delicious (at least to me) noodle made from buckwheat flour. We usually translate it as year-end soba, but I suppose a more literal translation would be year-come soba. XD Soba is a long, thin (but not as thin as somen, a rice noodle you eat in the summer) noodle, and you eat it at the end of the year to signify long life. Maybe people hope that if you eat long things, you'll live a long time? I'm not totally sure. XD But New Year's is a huge time to get together with family; it's pretty much one of the the biggest (if not the biggest) holiday in Japan.**

**And this ends tentsubasa's Japanese culture corner. (^_^)**

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**9/10/2012 edit:**

**Sorry again! I forgot to mention that I took Kasumi and Shouta's names from the Kazuki x Kahoko story "Of Trumpets and Black Ants." It's really very cute!**


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